Chapter 144

Chapter 144: Hypocrisy Song Shulan's first reaction was also one of willingness to attach himself to the Duke of Dingguo's household, especially since the Duke had just admonished him. If Cui Lingrong acknowledged the Duke as her adoptive father, then in the future, out of consideration for Cui Lingrong, the Duke would not delve too deeply into his affairs. He looked at Cui Lingrong with anticipation, thinking she would surely agree. But Cui Lingrong politely declined. "I appreciate the Duke's kindness. Acknowledging you as my adoptive father would be me reaching above my station, but when I was born, my family had my fortune told, and it was said that I am not suited to taking on adoptive relatives." In truth, it was said that her fate was too harsh, and she should be raised at a distance, not too close to her parents. But that was not her reason for refusing the Duke. Being able to gain the Duke of Dingguo as an adoptive father would naturally be a good thing, but accompanying that would be Madam Qin as an adoptive mother, and the whole host of relatives from the Qin family. Hearing her say this, the Duke was momentarily taken aback, but he understood that Cui Lingrong was declining. He did not press further. "Alright, alright, alright. Even if you don't acknowledge me as an adoptive father, you can come to the Duke of Dingguo's mansion anytime in the future. I am still your elder." Cui Lingrong smiled and said yes. Cui Zeyu hurriedly added, "That's right, sister. I'll still send people to manage the cloth shop. It's an enterprise that belongs to you and me, and I'll keep it running forever." Cui Lingrong had actually wanted to send someone else to manage it, since her brother would have more matters to attend to once he returned to the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. But since her brother said so, she thought about it—it was a bond between them, and it wasn't bad to keep it. She did need the money, after all. Cui Lingrong kept her brother and the Duke of Dingguo for a meal. Old Madame Song also sent Mama Xu over, saying, "The Old Madame was overjoyed to hear the news of Young Master Yu. She said that Young Master Yu is also someone she watched grow up, and now that he has returned to his ancestral line, he is still a child of our Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion. She has specially instructed the main kitchen to prepare dishes that Young Master Yu likes." Cui Zeyu's brows rose at this. Since he was a child, Old Madame Song had never favored him, let alone known what he liked to eat. Yet today, she sent Mama Xu over to invite him. The way she kowtowed to the mighty and trampled on the weak was truly ugly to behold. The Duke of Dingguo only knew that his son had lived well under Cui Lingrong's care; the specifics, he did not know. Hearing Old Madame Song's enthusiastic invitation, he agreed. Since the Duke of Dingguo had nodded, Cui Lingrong and Song Shulan could only follow along. The Duke of Dingguo made a gesture of invitation to Cui Lingrong, but showed no such respect to Song Shulan. Song Shulan followed sullenly at the back, calling out quietly to Cui Zeyu, "Zeyu, you also grew up in our Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion. All these years, your sister and I have taken care of you, putting in no small amount of effort." Cui Zeyu found this amusing. "Before Marquis Song says such things, have you forgotten what happened before?" "You are a magnanimous person. What happened before was all trivial. Siblings always have their little frictions. Can't we just let our little unpleasantness blow away with the wind?" Song Shulan thought to himself that he was already being very gracious. If Cui Zeyu still didn't know what was good for him, then if anything happened in the future, he couldn't blame Song Shulan for not helping. An adopted son wasn't a biological one, after all. The Duke of Dingguo's mansion had adopted two children at once. Who would eventually inherit the Duke of Dingguo's mansion was still up in the air. With his help, Cui Zeyu would have a better chance. In Song Shulan's view, Cui Zeyu's choice to be adopted into the Duke of Dingguo's mansion must have been aimed at the Duke's estate. Merchants were driven by profit, after all—he could see through Cui Zeyu's little scheme at a glance. Cui Zeyu said nothing, because they had already stepped into Shouan Tang. Old Madame Song greeted the Duke of Dingguo warmly, then beckoned Cui Zeyu to come before her. "You child, you encountered such a big matter outside, yet when you returned, why didn't you come sit in Shouan Tang? This old woman has thought about it again and again, waiting all along for you to come pay your respects." The Duke of Dingguo said, "Zeyu is a sensible child. Perhaps he simply had too many matters to attend to." In his view, his son did have many affairs to handle, so it was only natural he might have been remiss. Old Madame Song only wanted to put on a show for the Duke of Dingguo; she didn't truly wish to be close to Cui Zeyu. If she had to say anything more, she couldn't bear it either, so she turned to say, "Back then, when Lady Cui picked up this child, he was as thin as a bamboo pole. He ate like a kitten, and everything he ate gave him diarrhea. It took no small effort to raise him." She went on and on about how difficult it had been to raise Cui Zeyu, crediting all the effort to the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion. "Spending money, hiring physicians—it was all handled by the marquis mansion. Raising a child is truly no easy task." Old Madame Song ended with a long sigh. Cui Zeyu saw the Duke of Dingguo's eyes grow moist, as if he truly believed what Old Madame Song was saying. He thought to himself that the Duke was indeed muddle-headed—how could he believe such false words from Old Madame Song? Cui Zeyu smiled slightly and interjected, "The Old Madame is right, but also not right. Raising a child is indeed not easy, but I remember that at first, the marquis mansion wanted to cast me out. It was my sister who stepped in and kept me, which is what allowed me to survive." "Oh my, your sister is the head mistress of the marquis mansion. For her to step in—isn't that the same as the marquis mansion's intent?" Old Madame Song tried to gloss over it, but the Duke of Dingguo had already understood. The smile on his face froze instantly. Seeing that the Duke of Dingguo understood, Cui Lingrong did not waste more words. Just then, a maidservant came to announce that County Princess Rongjia had arrived. Old Madame Song asked, "What has she come for?" The Old Madame knew that County Princess Rongjia despised Lady Cui and Cui Zeyu, and had specifically instructed the servants not to relay any messages to Wutong Court. So why had County Princess Rongjia still come?