Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Bullying the Newcomer Before the estate manager arrived, Old Madame Song wanted Yu-jie to leave first. Cui Lingrong smiled and said, "Old Madame, Yu-jie is not young anymore. She should start learning how to manage household affairs. Let her stay and watch how you and the Commandery Princess handle this—it's a chance for her to learn some skills." Old Madame Song looked at Yu-jie. Indeed, after the New Year, Yu-jie would be fourteen—old enough to start being considered for marriage. It was time to teach her these things. Cui Lingrong had her daughter stand beside her and gave her a subtle look, signaling that she should simply observe for now. Before long, the estate manager was brought in. There was a bruise on his forehead—it looked like he had been struck. Before Old Madame Song could even question him, Wang Shanxi's Wife stepped forward first. "Manager Liu, what's going on? Why has there been trouble at the estate?" Manager Liu glanced toward the Commandery Princess's direction, then met Old Madame Song's gaze and couldn't help but tremble. "It's some unruly tenants who refuse to pay their tenant rent. They have no money of their own and want to sell their children, yet they blame... blame the master for not being lenient." Old Madame Song was half-convinced. "How could such a thing happen?" When Lady Cui had managed the household, nothing had ever gone wrong, neither in the residence nor at the estates. But now that the Commandery Princess was in charge—first the gatekeepers slacking off, then refusing to call a doctor for a concubine, and now the tenant farmers causing trouble. How long had it even been? When Old Madame Song looked at the Commandery Princess, her gaze carried scrutiny. Even if the Commandery Princess held a noble status, failing to manage the household well was still incompetence. The Commandery Princess felt a knot in her chest under Old Madame's gaze. The main problem was that she had no idea what was happening at the estate. She was completely in the dark and wanted to scold Manager Liu for lacking foresight—he should have come to her, the one managing the household, first, rather than going straight to Old Madame. She feared it was something serious. Her back unconsciously leaned forward as she stared nervously at Manager Liu. "To answer Old Madame, yes. Those tenant farmers banded together, claiming the Marquis's household shows no compassion, and insisted we reduce their tenant rent. They seemed to stir up trouble without any warning, and now even people from other estates have heard about it." Manager Liu noticed the Commandery Princess's gaze and dared not speak ill of her. He feared the situation would escalate beyond his control, so he had come straight to the Marquis's residence to report to the masters. When Old Madame Song heard that other households knew about it, her face immediately fell. Tenant farmers causing trouble was not what worried her—what she cared about was how others had found out. "Commandery Princess, do you know anything about this?" The furrow between Old Madame Song's brows deepened. The Commandery Princess shook her head. "Your daughter-in-law does not know." "Then what about the tenant rent? Why would they ask us to reduce it for no reason?" Old Madame Song had managed the household in her youth and knew that tenant farmers did not make demands without cause. "Did you raise the rent, or was the harvest poor this year?" Since Lady Cui had taken over management, Old Madame Song no longer needed to worry about household affairs. In recent years, she had stopped concerning herself with such trivial matters, focusing only on enjoying her leisure. But that did not mean she was senile or ignorant. Seeing the Commandery Princess hesitate, Wang Shanxi's Wife stepped forward again to speak. Old Madame Song shot her a vicious glare. "I am asking the Commandery Princess, not you. You keep snatching the words from your mistress's mouth—are you the mistress, or is the Commandery Princess the mistress?" Thinking of the Marquis's household reputation being ruined, Old Madame Song's anger rose, and she no longer bothered to save face. Wang Shanxi's Wife's brows twitched violently, and she hurriedly knelt down. "Forgive me, Old Madame. This old servant would never dare overstep, but—" "Shut your mouth. The mistress has not spoken yet—when is it your turn? Commandery Princess, you answer my question. Did you raise the rent, or was the harvest poor this year?" Old Madame Song's voice grew louder with each sentence, grinding her teeth as she pressed for an answer. The Commandery Princess could no longer sit still. She rose in a fluster, her eyes darting back and forth. "To answer Old Madame, some days ago, someone came to say that the harvest was not good this year and requested a reduction in tenant rent. But I looked through the old accounts—in the past fourteen years, Sister Cui reduced the rent for seven of them. Was Sister Cui simply too kind-hearted, or were those tenants taking advantage of a lenient master and deliberately lying?" She deliberately steered the topic toward Cui Lingrong. "So I thought—in past years, the Marquis's household had been generous with them. But this year, the household lost a large sum from the cloth shop. If we also reduced the tenant rent, wouldn't that affect your and the Marquis's standard of living? I assumed the tenants had some savings, so I did not agree." At this point, she knelt down, her words earnest. "Your daughter-in-law truly did not know they would be so unreasonable. That day when Li Fugui came to the residence, I even sent Wang Shanxi's Wife to explain things to them. If everyone just endures a little longer, next year will surely be better. Old Madame, I am a new daughter-in-law. I truly do not know the people and affairs of the Marquis's household that well. I fear... I fear they are not bullying me because I am new, and that is why they are making such a fuss." At the end, she raised a hand to wipe her tears. Every word from the Commandery Princess hinted that the tenant farmers were unfamiliar with her and might have conspired with someone else to cause trouble. That "someone else"—there was no need to guess who the Commandery Princess meant. It was Cui Lingrong. Old Madame Song turned to look. She saw that Lady Cui remained composed throughout, not a single ripple of emotion showing on her face. If there was one person among all those Old Madame Song had met who never panicked in a crisis, it was Lady Cui. Sometimes Old Madame Song felt that Lady Cui was like a clay Bodhisattva—even knowing of Princess Rongjia's existence, she had never seen Lady Cui make a scene. But the more composed Lady Cui remained, the harder it was for Old Madame Song to gauge her intentions. After listening to Princess Rongjia's lengthy explanation, Old Madame Song gradually pieced things together. The matter must certainly involve Princess Rongjia, since she was the one managing the household. As for whether Lady Cui had a hand in it, that remained to be seen. Seeing that Lady Cui remained silent, Old Madame Song took the initiative to ask, "Lady Cui, you managed the household for many years. Do you think those tenant farmers truly cannot produce the rent, or are they deliberately causing trouble?" "This..." Cui Lingrong assumed a thoughtful expression. "This daughter-in-law wouldn't know either. After all, once I returned to the family, I stopped inquiring into household affairs. I thought that since Old Madame and the Marquis both trust the Commandery Princess, she would surely be able to handle these matters well." She didn't know? Old Madame Song found that hard to believe. Lady Cui had managed the household for years, and the Marquis's estate was full of her people—how could she know nothing at all? Anticipating Old Madame's thoughts, Cui Lingrong paused and continued, "However, a few days ago, some tenant farmers who couldn't get an audience with the Commandery Princess came to plead with me. According to Li Fugui, this year's yield was only half of previous years, and they truly couldn't pay the full rent. He asked me to put in a good word for him, but I told him to go to the Commandery Princess instead—after all, she's the one managing the household, and it wouldn't be proper for me to overstep. Later, I learned that Wang Shanxi's Wife had met with Li Fugui, and I assumed the Commandery Princess had already placated him, so I didn't trouble you with this matter." When she said that Li Fugui couldn't get an audience with Princess Rongjia, she deliberately enunciated those words more heavily. They were the ones who had stripped her of authority. Since Old Madame and Song Shulan wanted to give Princess Rongjia face, she would play the part of someone who knew her place. After all, they were the ones who wouldn't let her manage things—she couldn't be blamed for it. Old Madame Song couldn't find any flaw in Cui Lingrong's words, so she could only send her trusted confidant back with Manager Liu. Whether it was Princess Rongjia or Lady Cui, she could no longer trust either of them—she needed her own people to investigate. Princess Rongjia said that Wang Shanxi's Wife should go along as well. "After all, this daughter-in-law is the one managing the household. With something like this happening, I cannot shirk responsibility. Let Wang Shanxi's Wife go along—whatever needs to be compensated will be compensated, and I'll be able to understand exactly what happened so I can properly handle the aftermath." She knew Old Madame was very angry. If she didn't resolve this well, Old Madame might become disappointed in her. She had to have her own people accompany them, or else she might be kept in the dark. Old Madame Song had no objection—after all, Princess Rongjia was managing the household, and she couldn't very well refuse the Commandery Princess's request. However, she also looked at Lady Cui and said, "You should send someone along too. In previous years, you were the one managing affairs, and the people at the estate hold you in considerable respect. Perhaps, out of regard for you, the matter can be settled peacefully." The daughters-in-law could squabble within the household, but when something affected the Marquis's family reputation, it had to stop. No one, whoever they were, was allowed to tarnish the family's name. Cui Lingrong showed a look of reluctance. "Old Madame thinks too highly of this daughter-in-law. Tenant farmers only show respect to whoever is currently managing affairs. I'm just an idle person now—if I were to send someone to interfere, whose orders would the tenant farmers follow?" Old Madame Song was growing somewhat displeased. Cui Lingrong continued to explain, "If they listen to me, then where does that leave the Commandery Princess's dignity? But if the tenant farmers only heed the Commandery Princess's words... I may not manage affairs, and I don't like to fight or compete, but I am still the mother of Xuan-ge and the others. I..." She spoke with difficulty. "I must maintain some measure of dignity to stand firm in this household. Wouldn't you agree?" Hearing this, Old Madame Song could hardly press the matter further, and she urged everyone to hurry to the estate to see what was going on. Princess Rongjia felt uneasy, but fortunately Wang Shanxi's Wife reassured her before leaving. "Rest assured, Your Highness. With this old servant here, no matter what demons or monsters appear, I'll make them swallow their words. Since that one at Qiushuang Zhai isn't interfering, as long as we handle Old Madame's people well, it shouldn't be too difficult." "Thank goodness I have you—otherwise, I truly wouldn't have a single capable person by my side." Princess Rongjia sighed. After watching Wang Shanxi's Wife leave, she still felt unsettled. She had a feeling this matter was not simple. Cui Lingrong appeared to know her place, staying out of everything and sending no one to the estate, but her intuition told Princess Rongjia that Cui Lingrong was definitely brewing something big.