Chapter 198

Chapter 198: Mistaking the Husband It had snowed all night. By the time Concubine Zhang arrived at Qiushuang Zhai, Caiyue was already leading the servants in clearing the snow. "Why has the concubine come?" Caiyue went over with a smile. "Didn't the Eldest Madam say there was no need to come on days like this? And you've come so early. Mind the slippery path—that cloak you're wearing is the one the Eldest Madam gave you, isn't it?" "Miss Caiyue has a good memory—it is indeed the one the Eldest Madam gave me. I'm not here specifically to pay my respects. You know I have nothing else to do, so I thought I'd come help Yu-jie with her work and have a chat at the same time. It makes the days pass faster." As she spoke, Concubine Zhang entered the room, where a wave of warm air greeted her, and she no longer needed her cloak. When she arrived, Yu-jie had not yet come. "You're still the earliest to arrive." Seeing that Concubine Zhang was about to serve the morning meal, Cui Lingrong invited her to sit down and eat together. "After all these years, you know I'm not the kind of person who's harsh. These past days, I've had you helping embroider Yu-jie's trousseau—I appreciate your hard work." Yu-jie's marriage had not yet been settled, but the wedding dress had to be embroidered first. For a family like the Marquis's household, the wedding dress alone would take a year or two to complete. Cui Lingrong had hired two renowned embroideresses, which should have been enough, but since Concubine Zhang often came by, Cui Lingrong tacitly allowed it. Concubine Zhang had no other support in the Marquis's household and no children. Over the years, as she aged and fell out of favor, she had relied on the Eldest Madam to survive. Concubine Zhang was also sensible enough, never overstepping her bounds. Cui Lingrong saw this and was willing to help her where she could. After the morning meal, Yu-jie arrived. The older she grew, the more striking her appearance became. Today she wore a fire-fox fur cloak, which made her skin look even fairer. "Look here, which fairy has descended among us?" Concubine Zhang teased with a laugh. "The concubine always loves to make fun of people. If we're talking about fairies, my mother is the real fairy." Song Yu was in no hurry to start working—she wasn't particularly fond of needlework, and after studying with Nanny Hu for a while, she had come to prefer reading instead. She nestled against her mother's side. "Mother, Fang-jie says she won't be coming. The Jiang family is arranging an engagement for her." Fang-jie was a year older than Song Yu and had already undergone her Ji-pin ceremony. For the past two years, the Jiang family had been looking for a suitable match for her. Concubine Zhang asked, "Which family is it?" Song Yu said it was a relative of Fang-jie's maternal grandmother's family. "It's just that Fang-jie will be leaving Bianjing. Sigh, who knows how long it will be before we can see each other again." Having spent several months together, they had grown fond of each other. "Mountains and waters will meet again, and so will people. As long as you both are well, there will always be a time to reunite." Cui Lingrong stroked her daughter's hair. "And conveniently, Nanny Hu will be returning to her hometown at the end of the year." Days like this were the rarest—no in-laws to deal with, the love of parents and brothers, and no worries about children. Thinking back, Cui Lingrong also missed most the days before she was married. Back then, she had two or three close friends, and life was always vivid and interesting. Her aunt was strict, but she didn't confine her at home, and with the lively Yuan Mingzhu around, there would never be such good days again. "Mother, why are you spacing out?" Song Yu asked. "I was thinking of the old days, when I used to study together with your Aunt Yuan. Our families lived close by and visited often. You wouldn't know this, but your Aunt Yuan was quite outrageous when she was young—a girl, climbing over your maternal cousin's family wall, just to drag me out to the temple fair." Speaking of these things, Cui Lingrong couldn't help the smile tugging at her lips. "Did Mother go?" Seeing her mother nod, Song Yu was very surprised. "Mother actually did things like that too?" Cui Lingrong smiled gently. "Later, your great-aunt found out, and I had to copy scriptures in the ancestral hall for three days. But your Aunt Yuan was very indignant—she said since she was the one who took me out, if anyone was to be punished, it should be her." "She's so bold!" Song Yu listened with admiration. "Yes, she was. She carried her bedding and ran to the ancestral hall, saying she'd help me copy the scriptures. But before she'd copied two passages, she fell asleep. I had to keep tucking her blanket in, and I worried she might get thirsty or hungry. Fortunately, your maternal cousin secretly brought us food at night. At the time, I thought the two of them would end up together. I don't know why they never did." Speaking of the past, Cui Lingrong was always smiling. Though the Cui family hadn't valued her much, fortunately she'd been lucky enough to meet an aunt who doted on her. After chatting for a while, Cui Lingrong could see her daughter wanted to slack off, so she pushed her toward the embroidery. "Even if I've hired embroideresses, you still need to work on it yourself. Otherwise, when people talk about it later, you'll be laughed at." "I know, Mother. I'll do a good job. But you and Aunt Yuan have completely different personalities—how did you two become friends?" Song Yu had noticed that her mother wasn't as stern lately, so she spoke with her more. Just as she finished asking, Caiyue came in with a letter, saying it was from the maternal cousin's household in Suzhou. Hearing it was a letter from her cousin, Cui Lingrong hurriedly opened it. Concubine Zhang stood up to excuse herself, but Cui Lingrong called her back. "You don't need to be so sensitive. It's nothing special. It's just that my cousin is coming to Bianjing, but his residence hasn't been lived in for years—only two stewards are keeping watch. He's asked me to go over and tidy the place up." Learning that her cousin was coming to Bianjing to take up an official post, Cui Lingrong was very pleased. Thinking about it, she hadn't seen her cousin in over a year. Over the past year, her aunt and cousin's wife had passed away one after another. She wondered how her cousin was doing now. Originally, when her aunt passed away, her cousin was required to observe a three-year mourning period. But last year, when floods struck the south, her cousin distinguished himself in flood control. Later, after only four months of mourning, the rains in the Suzhou area turned ferocious, breaching levees in several places. The Emperor thought of Cui Lingrong's cousin and made an exception to allow him to end his mourning period early. Just recently, the Emperor issued a decree transferring her cousin back to Bianjing and promoting him to Minister of Works. "That's truly congratulations-worthy. I've long heard that your maternal cousin's husband is a capable man. Once he arrives in Bianjing, the Eldest Madam will have another relative." Concubine Zhang secretly thought the Eldest Madam was fortunate—from Cui Zeyu to her maternal cousin's husband, the current Eldest Madam was not far behind County Princess Rongjia. Song Yu was also delighted. When she had gone to Suzhou, her maternal cousin had treated her very well, and she also missed the cousin's daughter from that household. "Mother, why not take me along?" "That's fine too. You're old enough now; you should learn some things." After Cui Lingrong said this, she had Nanny Qiu go inform Song Shulan. Since her cousin was coming, Song Shulan ought to be notified. When Nanny Qiu returned, she brought another piece of good news—Song Shulan had also been promoted. "The messenger just arrived with the happy tidings. He's now heading to Shouan Tang. The Marquis will henceforth be a full third-rank official." Hearing that Song Shulan had been promoted, Cui Lingrong was somewhat surprised, but she quickly stopped finding it strange. An ordinary man wouldn't rise so quickly, but Song Shulan had a formidable father-in-law. Now that County Princess Rongjia had no children, the Rong Prince Mansion had to give Song Shulan some sweetener to uphold the County Princess's standing. Only if Song Shulan felt the Rong Prince Mansion was useful would he treat County Princess Rongjia better. Concubine Zhang had been about to offer more congratulations, but observing that there was no joy in the Eldest Madam's eyes, she hesitated over what to say—until the Eldest Madam spoke first, saying it was a good thing. "Go tell the steward that since the Marquis has been promoted, the servants' monthly wages will be increased by half this month." Cui Lingrong genuinely felt this was a good thing. She was still Song Shulan's wife, and Song Shulan was still the father of her children. As such, Song Shulan's promotion would bring her face as well. Only then did Concubine Zhang say, "The Marquis's promotion is quite timely—just in time for Yu-jie's marriage negotiations." Speaking of her daughter's marriage, Cui Lingrong felt somewhat troubled. She had originally favored Feng-ge'er, but the higher Song Shulan rose, the more certain he would look down on the Luo family's standing. Unless Feng-ge'er passed the examinations consecutively with distinction—but Feng-ge'er was the same age as Yu-jie; how could he have such ability? And Yu-jie herself had not revealed any preference, otherwise Cui Lingrong could still fight for Yu-jie's sake. Cui Lingrong smiled and did not continue the topic. Two days later, she brought her people to her cousin's residence to personally oversee matters. She didn't even notice when her younger brother arrived. When she caught a whiff of the fresh scent of pinewood, Cui Lingrong turned around and was startled. "Why are you here?" "I was passing by nearby and saw the front gate open, so I knew you were here." As Cui Zeyu spoke, he rolled up his sleeves. "I'll help." "No need, no need. You've worked hard all day—shouldn't you go home and rest?" Cui Lingrong tried to stop him, but couldn't dissuade Cui Zeyu. Cui Zeyu came day after day, and only when the residence was fully cleaned did he suggest taking Cui Lingrong, Jin-ge, and the others out to a restaurant. Song Mingjin agreed without a second thought, and Song Yu was also delighted, so Cui Lingrong had no choice but to consent. The group arrived at Fan Tower, and just as they went upstairs, they happened to be seen by Song Shulan and Gao Jingzhi, who had just entered. A new waiter at Fan Tower mistakenly took Cui Lingrong and Cui Zeyu for a married couple and said with great enthusiasm, "Madam is truly blessed to have such a handsome husband." Cui Zeyu had been so busy lately that he hadn't had time to trim his beard and hair, making him look a few years older. The waiter thought he was offering auspicious words, never imagining that Song Shulan heard every word.