Chapter 176

Chapter 176: Seeing Red Cui Lingrong found Huadie. There was no one else in the room. Before she could speak, Huadie knelt down and pleaded first. "Great Madam is merciful. I beg Great Madam to help this humble one. I will keep my lips sealed and absolutely will not say anything." Huadie knew that after experiencing something like this, the marquis's household would likely lock her up, or poison her voice and send her to a country estate. After all, she was just a concubine—no one would care about her. Cui Lingrong helped Huadie up. "Look at you, why are you so nervous? When the Marquis mentioned you, I thought about how you've served him through much hardship, and even carried his child. What happened this time is a disaster that befell you through no fault of your own." Huadie looked at the Great Madam with trembling eyes. Although she had been placed in the marquis's household by County Princess Rongjia, the County Princess would not help her, and the Marquis had no affection for her either. She could only rely on the Great Madam. "So I told the Marquis that rather than letting you waste away in the marquis's household, it would be better to send you to Suzhou and have my cousin find you a good family." Cui Lingrong let Huadie wipe her tears. "We are all women, and you have never harmed me, so I don't want to see you wither away. What do you think?" Huadie was stunned. She had originally planned to beg the Great Madam for mercy, hoping to live quietly and low-key in the marquis's household, surviving however she could. She never expected the Great Madam to let her leave the marquis's household? "R-really?" Huadie wasn't quite sure. "What I say is naturally true." Cui Lingrong gave a definite answer. "As long as you're willing, I'll arrange for you to go to Suzhou tomorrow. But you must keep the Marquis's matter strictly confidential. If any word leaks out, I won't be able to help you either." Huadie nodded repeatedly. "This humble one understands. I swear I will not breathe a single word about what happened in Bianjing. I will absolutely not affect the marquis's household's reputation." Having escaped disaster, Huadie felt only gratitude. Cui Lingrong had also achieved her goal. She immediately had Huadie go back to pack her things. Once Huadie went to Suzhou, she still wouldn't escape Cui Lingrong's watchful eye. When she returned to Qiushuang Zhai, it was already pitch dark. Seeing Yu-jie, Cui Lingrong knew what her daughter wanted to ask. She brought her daughter inside before telling her about what had happened that day. Today's events couldn't even be found out by the second and third branches of the family. But Cui Lingrong didn't treat her daughter like a child. She carefully recounted the whole sequence of events, and even revealed her own scheming. "However, your father's accident today was not something I had anticipated. It was a small surprise—eliminating the trouble at its root." Song Yu was very surprised. "Mother, why didn't you tell me about this before?" "With matters like this, the more people who know, the greater the risk. No matter how thorough the plan, before it succeeds, there's always a chance I could be exposed. If I let you know in advance, it might drag you down." Cui Lingrong said, "County Princess Rongjia longs for a child and keeps sending women into the marquis's household one after another. I simply couldn't guard against them all, so I had to strike at the source. Yu-jie, do you think I'm too ruthless?" Song Yu lowered her head, then shook it. "Mother did this for me and my younger brothers." If County Princess Rongjia were to have a child, both of her younger brothers' futures would be greatly affected. "Yes, I can't let anyone take away what rightfully belongs to you." Cui Lingrong said. "But what about Concubine Zhuqing's child? If she gives birth to a son, the County Princess will still have a son." Song Yu said worriedly. "Don't worry. Zhuqing's child, whether or not it's your father's, will never be acknowledged by him." Cui Lingrong then told her about Zhuqing and Zheng Side's affair. "Your father's health hasn't recovered yet, so we can't expose this now. There's no rush. We'll talk about it once your father is better. Otherwise, if his body collapses, you'll have to observe three years of mourning." If not for that consideration, Cui Lingrong wouldn't have minded dealing Song Shulan a harsher blow. Moreover, Song Shulan was the head of the household. The higher Song Shulan climbed, the more benefits his children would enjoy. Cui Lingrong no longer cared about Song Shulan's affections. At least she no longer held expectations, nor would she feel hurt by Song Shulan's neglect. As for everything else—she was only human. Some things still needed time to digest and fade. After all, more than a decade of shared life meant many things were habits carved into her bones. In such a short time, the traces couldn't be completely smoothed away. Song Yu watched her mother scheme so much and sighed with heartache. "If it weren't for us, you wouldn't be trapped in this situation." A woman as capable as her mother should have lived a better life. "I've already lived half my life. Where else could I go besides the marquis's household?" Cui Lingrong smiled. When Yuan Mingzhu and the others privately mentioned mutual divorce, that was just venting frustration—how could they truly go that far? Cui Lingrong looked at her daughter with eyes full of affection. Song Yu leaned toward her mother. "Being able to be your daughter is my blessing." Otherwise, if it were anyone else, they would have been devoured alive by County Princess Rongjia long ago. "I'm telling you all this so you understand strategy and the importance of patience. I hope you never have to use these things—I wish you a smooth and peaceful life—but life is full of uncertainties." Just as Cui Lingrong never expected Song Shulan to suddenly take an Equal Wife. The world is unpredictable. Cui Lingrong had no choice but to prepare for the worst. That night, Cui Lingrong slept well, but Song Shulan and County Princess Rongjia lay awake all night. Early the next morning, Cui Lingrong arranged for someone to escort Huadie to Suzhou. When the second and third branches learned that Song Shulan had taken leave, they both came to visit, though Madame Jiang and Madam Li could not enter the inner chambers. Cui Lingrong sat with them in the main hall. "The Marquis fell last night. A hundred days of recovery for injured bones and tendons—who knows how long he'll need to recuperate." "Then he truly must rest well," Madame Jiang said, her hand resting on her swollen belly. Since becoming pregnant, she had grown considerably gentler. Madam Li agreed, "Indeed. When we heard yesterday that the first branch had summoned a physician, we thought someone else had fallen ill. The Marquis is the pillar of the marquis household—he must take good care of himself." Both had sent people to inquire yesterday, but Cui Lingrong had the courtyard guarded inside and out, so they could learn nothing—only catch a few cries of pain from Song Shulan. Now, hearing Cui Lingrong's explanation, Madam Li harbored some doubt but would not question further. Whatever illness the Marquis had, it mattered little to the third branch. Madame Jiang was more concerned, for her husband had no ambition, and their quality of life depended entirely on the Marquis. The women chatted for a while, until He Pingping's maidservant came running in search of someone, saying He Pingping had stomach pains and wanted a physician summoned. "Is she made of mud?" Madame Jiang said irritably. "Stomach pains every other day—I know all her tricks. Isn't it just to get the Second Master to come see her?" At the mention of He Pingping, Madame Jiang instantly reverted to her former self. The maidservant was frantic, weeping as she pleaded, "Please, Second Madam, be lenient. The concubine truly has stomach pains this time—she's... she's showing blood." Madame Jiang remained unconvinced, certain He Pingping was up to her usual schemes. "She's still some ways from her delivery date. Don't try to fool me!" Cui Lingrong, however, sensed something amiss. If this were merely a bid for attention, why come all the way to her courtyard? She sent someone to summon a physician anyway.