Chapter 152

Chapter 152: Impotence The sunlight was lovely today. Cui Lingrong sat by the window along the river, watching the sparkling water as an occasional boat drifted by. She gazed outside as Nanny Qiu asked, "Has the Eldest Young Madam made up her mind?" "Yes." A very, very soft reply. Nanny Qiu almost had the illusion that the Eldest Young Madam had simply arranged to have tea with a friend today, but she knew it was more than that. About a quarter of an hour later, You Shuyi pushed the door open and spotted Cui Lingrong, looking especially excited. "You finally reached out to me! If you hadn't, I'd have thought you'd become a bodhisattva who'd truly turned to Buddha with a carefree heart!" "You—don't think I can't tell you're mocking me!" Cui Lingrong pulled You Shuyi to sit down. "The feng shui of Bianjing must suit you well. In just a few months, you've filled out considerably." "Stop teasing me. It's all because I was locked up by your nemesis—stuck in the house day after day without being able to go out. All I did was eat and sleep. How could I not gain weight?" You Shuyi laughed. "If you ask me, County Princess Rongjia only wins because of her status. Otherwise, how could she be so hard to deal with?" Cui Lingrong agreed. "At first, I thought that once the Marquis saw her true colors, he would cool toward her. Later I realized I was being naive—men's minds are filled more with their own grand ambitions." Seeing You Shuyi about to sigh at that, she smiled and added, "Look, I'm not the one sighing and moaning. You and that girl Mingzhu are the ones who love to worry on my behalf." "How could we not worry?" You Shuyi said. "Mingzhu has a fiery temper, but luckily she met a man who protects her, so her life at her in-laws' is passable. As for me, no one controls me now, and my son is fairly obedient. Only you—your whole household is a mess, your man can't be relied on, and Old Madame Song only knows how to enjoy herself." Speaking of that whole lot at the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, You Shuyi couldn't help but sneer. Not one of them earned her approval. Nanny Qiu poured tea for You Shuyi. "Please, Mrs. Luo, don't say such things. The reason my mistress invited you today is that she has a favor to ask of you." "Hmph, your mistress has finally come around. Go on, what poison do you want from me? I can't give you anything that kills—no matter how you administer it, it will be traced back, and I won't harm you over it. Anything else, just say the word, and I'll find a way to get it for you!" In You Shuyi's view, if Cui Lingrong was seeking her out now, it must be to drug County Princess Rongjia or one of the concubines. "Is it to deal with County Princess Rongjia?" Cui Lingrong shook her head. "Shuyi, is there a medicine that can make a man unable to father children?" "Huh?" You Shuyi was stunned. When she snapped back to reality and understood what Cui Lingrong was asking, she burst out laughing. "So you want to... make Song Shulan impotent?" "Whether he's impotent or not doesn't matter. Just don't let him father any more children." Cui Lingrong said. "There is—there really is!" You Shuyi looked at Cui Lingrong with great surprise. "Only you could say it with such a straight face—telling me you're going to drug your own husband, and with this kind of medicine at that. First, tell me, how did you make up your mind?" She was terribly curious. Cui Lingrong, who had always been the most proper and rule-abiding, was actually considering doing something like this. Cui Lingrong told her about Zhuqing's pregnancy. "County Princess Rongjia can't bear children, so she keeps arranging women to serve Song Shulan. I don't mind Song Shulan sleeping with other women. But one after another, and one pregnancy after another—rather than me taking action and staining my karma, it's better to solve it once and for all. In the end, it's not those women who are the trouble—it's Song Shulan who brings me all this trouble." You Shuyi looked at Cui Lingrong with admiration. "Lingrong, Lingrong, I truly admire you. I've practiced medicine for so many years and met plenty of women who curse heaven, curse earth, and curse the concubines. You're one of the few who sees clearly that the man is the root of the problem." She said that Thunder God Vine and other Chinese herbs could suppress a man's virility. "But it needs to be taken long-term—a short period won't do, or he'll recover. Best to mix it into his meals so he keeps consuming it." Hearing that such a medicine really existed, Cui Lingrong breathed a sigh of relief. Long-term was fine. She managed the affairs of the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion—this much she could accomplish. Otherwise, what was the point of being the household manager? You Shuyi said she would send someone to deliver the medicine to Cui Lingrong. "Actually, I'll have Feng-ge'er deliver it. Sneaking around would invite suspicion, but if Feng-ge'er visits openly, no one would ever think I'd have him bring you this kind of medicine." The more she spoke, the more excited You Shuyi became. "Good, really good! Song Shulan deserves exactly this kind of retribution. But it won't take effect right away, so for the next half month, you still need to be on guard, lest someone gets pregnant in that window." Cui Lingrong said she would. "Thank you so much." "Look at you, why are you saying that to me?" You Shuyi assured her. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone else about this—not Feng-ge'er, not Mingzhu. Only we will know." Speaking of Yuan Mingzhu, You Shuyi wouldn't be able to see her this time—that would have to wait for another visit. She gave detailed instructions on how to use the medicine and how to keep its taste from being detected. Finally, she added, "Though I know you're cautious enough, when it comes to administering drugs, it's still best to be careful. Remember, you must be patient, and you cannot afford to be soft-hearted. Your Song Shulan clearly values his official career above all else—if he can't be a man anymore, no one will be able to threaten your three children." Cui Lingrong said she understood. "Alright, now that I've seen you, I should return to Suzhou. I've also heard about your cousin-in-law's situation. To be honest, she was ill for so long—her passing is a release. You should grieve in moderation." You Shuyi reluctantly bid Cui Lingrong farewell. Now that she was returning to Suzhou, she didn't know when they would next meet. The two drank tea for a while, then You Shuyi left first, and Cui Lingrong boarded her carriage from the alley. This time, You Shuyi was returning alone, while Luo Feng would remain in Bianjing to pursue his studies—conveniently allowing him to deliver the medicine for You Shuyi. Cui Lingrong had introduced Lingyun Academy and planned to arrange for Er Shun to deliver supplies to Luo Feng as soon as she returned. The carriage stopped at the side gate because someone was delivering vegetables at the front. Cui Lingrong waited in the carriage for a while. Nanny Qiu pushed open a crack and spotted Nanny Zheng from the household in a tug-of-war with a man. She called her mistress over to look. By the carriage not far away, the man seemed very displeased. Nanny Zheng said something, and the man directly shook off her hand. Just then, Nanny Zheng looked over. Seeing that she had been spotted, Cui Lingrong simply stepped down from the carriage. "Nanny Zheng, who is this?" "To answer the Eldest Young Madam, this is my younger brother. He manages the estate for the County Mistress and came today to deliver food supplies." Nanny Zheng was flustered—why hadn't she noticed the Eldest Young Madam's carriage earlier? "Why is the Eldest Young Madam entering from here today?" She feared that her conversation with her brother might have been overheard by the Eldest Young Madam and her party. Even a fragment of it would make her worry that the Eldest Young Madam might grow suspicious. "I happened to pass by here on the way back." Cui Lingrong said casually, glancing at the Zheng siblings before leading her people into the estate. Zheng Side kept staring at Cui Lingrong's retreating figure. It took him a long while to snap out of it, and he unconsciously swallowed. "That just now... that was the Eldest Young Madam?" "Yes, what are you staring at?" Nanny Zheng tugged at her brother. "Are you losing your head again? That's the Eldest Young Madam—not someone you should be coveting!" "Sis, what are you talking about? I was just admiring how beautiful the Eldest Young Madam is, just a passing remark." Zheng Side had never seen such a beautiful woman before, and his heart itched. "If you ask me, the Eldest Young Madam is far more beautiful than the County Mistress. The Marquis is truly blessed." "Pah, pah, pah! What nonsense are you spouting? How dare you comment on the appearances of our masters? Remember what I said—forget about that wretched girl Zhuqing. She was lucky enough to become a concubine, so consider whatever happened between you two as if it never existed!" After Nanny Zheng finished speaking, the goods on the carriage had been mostly unloaded. She told her brother to be careful on his way back. Meanwhile, on the other side, Er Shun waited until no one was behind them before speaking quietly. "Eldest Young Madam, just now I overheard the Zheng siblings mention Concubine Zhuqing." "What did they say about Zhuqing?" Cui Lingrong asked. "I couldn't hear clearly, but Nanny Zheng seemed to mention Concubine Zhuqing's child." Er Shun said.