Chapter 141

Chapter 141: Recognizing Kin Song Shulan naturally had no desire to form a marriage alliance with Xie Yunting—he despised Xie Yunting to the bone, let alone having to see him at any moment after such a union. "Rest assured, Mother. For Yu-jie's marriage, I will definitely aim high. As for the Qin family, Lady Cui is right—Qin Shaoyuan has already been demoted. Who knows whether the Emperor will extend his wrath to the rest of the Qin family? We have the Rong Prince Mansion as our great tree of support; there's no need to take further risks," Song Shulan said. Song Shulan's thinking was that if he couldn't secure a marriage with the Rong Prince Mansion, he would wait until he rose higher in rank. After all, Yu-jie had not yet reached her Ji-pin, so he was in no hurry to arrange her betrothal. He was determined to find a family that could benefit his official career through the marriage alliance. Old Madame Song, hearing that her son already had plans in mind, suggested, "Lady Cui gave Yu-jie a beautiful appearance. In all of Bianjing, there is absolutely no other girl whose looks surpass hers. Have Lady Cui take Yu-jie out more often—young men all adore beauty. Back then, weren't you captivated by Lady Cui's looks at first sight?" Speaking of this, Old Madame Song snorted. "Had I known she would become so formidable, I would never have agreed back then, no matter what." Indeed, Song Shulan had been enchanted by Cui Lingrong's beauty at first glance. In her youth, Cui Lingrong was delicate and radiant—no matter how many noble ladies were in a crowd, Cui Lingrong was always the one who stunned him at first sight. With the sedimentation of years, Cui Lingrong's appearance now carried more charm—a mature allure she hadn't possessed as a young girl. To be honest, Song Shulan was very satisfied with Cui Lingrong's looks, and her figure as well—supple and well-proportioned. It was just that she was dull in bed, far less uninhibited than County Princess Rongjia and the others. She never let him fully enjoy himself. "Rest assured, Mother. Wait a little longer—once Qin Shaoyuan steps down and new men rise in his place, my opportunity will come. When my official rank is a bit higher, Yu-jie can secure a good marriage," Song Shulan said, hoping his daughter would marry into a prestigious family. Anything less than marrying up was unacceptable. After finishing his conversation with Old Madame, Song Shulan returned to his study, only to find Qingshan's eyes darting evasively. He asked what was going on. "Reporting to the Marquis—someone just went to Qiushuang Zhai to deliver happy news, saying that Young Master Yu has found his birth parents," Qingshan said, having deliberately made inquiries. "They say... it's a branch family of the Lu clan." "Which Lu clan?" "The Lu clan of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion." Song Shulan paused. "Just a branch family—that's nothing significant. Every family has branch members; it's not as if they're accomplished." "I also heard that the Duke of Dingguo summoned Young Master Yu and several nephews from the branch family to the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, saying he wants to select one to adopt as his heir," Qingshan said. When he'd learned this, his brows had jumped wildly—if Young Master Yu were chosen, wouldn't the Marquis fly into a rage? "What?" Song Shulan indeed furrowed his brows. "Has the Duke of Dingguo gone senile? Others adopt children, but he summons Cui Zeyu to his doorstep? Cui Zeyu is already in his twenties—can he possibly be filial to him?" Song Shulan was utterly baffled. He thought both the Duke and Duchess of Dingguo had lost their minds. No matter how one looked at it, this matter should never fall to Cui Zeyu! Song Shulan could never have imagined, even if beaten to death, that Cui Zeyu would find his birth parents and have the chance to become the Duke of Dingguo's son. If Cui Zeyu were truly adopted by the Duke of Dingguo, then in the future, whenever Song Shulan met him, wouldn't he have to bow and pay respects to Cui Zeyu? Just thinking about it nearly made Song Shulan faint from rage. "Impossible—can the Duchess of Dingguo agree to this too? Is their head filled with paste?" Song Shulan questioned again. Qingshan said he didn't know. But the news had spread to Qiushuang Zhai and then reached their ears, which meant it was true. Song Shulan could barely catch his breath, slumping into his chair and gasping heavily, cursing inwardly that Heaven had no eyes. On the other side, when County Princess Rongjia learned that Cui Zeyu had not only survived but also found his parents, she likewise couldn't understand the Duke of Dingguo's mansion's decision. "That Cui Zeyu is nothing but a merchant reeking of copper coins—how could they take a liking to him?" County Princess Rongjia frowned deeply. "No, I can't just watch Cui Zeyu get adopted by the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. Otherwise, wouldn't Cui Lingrong become even more arrogant in the future?" Upon learning that Song Shulan was in his study, County Princess Rongjia hurried over. This time, County Princess Rongjia had learned to be clever. She wouldn't act herself, but instead goaded Song Shulan: "Cui Zeyu has never gotten along with us, and he shows no respect for you, Marquis. If he truly gets adopted into the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, he'll be even more haughty and arrogant before us in the future!" Song Shulan fell silent, frowning. "In my view, the Duke and Duchess of Dingguo must not know Cui Zeyu's true nature. Why not have the Marquis go inform them? After all, the Lu clan has plenty of branch children—pick a young one to raise from childhood, and he'd be even more filial to them," County Princess Rongjia urged relentlessly. "But I'm not familiar with the Duke of Dingguo's mansion." Song Shulan wasn't foolish enough to barge in uninvited and start spouting all sorts of things. County Princess Rongjia agreed. "Then why not find an intermediary to go?" Song Shulan thought it over and felt County Princess Rongjia made sense. By now, Cui Zeyu had already gone to the Duke of Dingguo's mansion—he could only hope the Duke wouldn't be so hasty in making his decision. After mulling it over, he decided the Qin family was most suitable. Learning that Qin Shaoyuan's youngest son was drinking at Fanlou, he deliberately went to find him. Qin Shuyang, having already had a few drinks, learned that his uncle intended to adopt a son who was not much younger than himself, and a merchant's son at that. He immediately rushed off to the Duke of Dingguo's residence.