Chapter 203

Chapter 203: Screams of Agony "You! You're not going to help, are you?" Old Madame Song was frantic. Her eldest son had finally been promoted, and now her second son was in trouble. If anything happened to him, she'd make Cui Lingrong pay. "It's not that I won't help—what do you take me for? Do I have that kind of ability?" Cui Lingrong couldn't reason with her. "Even Zeyu is just a minor seventh-rank official. What can he do? Speaking of which, the Marquis holds a higher rank. Why not have the Marquis and the Rong Prince Mansion come up with a solution?" She wasn't going to get involved. Last time, the gambling den had come knocking on their door, and Song Shucheng still hadn't mended his ways. If that was the case, it wouldn't hurt for Song Shucheng to suffer a bit. Just then, Madame Jiang arrived as well. Song Shucheng was, after all, her husband—if anything happened to him, her children would be implicated too. "Sister-in-law, I beg you, please go find Cui Zeyu. As long as you step in, Cui Zeyu will surely show you some respect. Maybe it can buy us some time?" Madame Jiang was exhausted. That man Song Shucheng—lustful and addicted to gambling. How had she ended up married to someone like him? Cui Lingrong said she had no way. "Second sister-in-law, I'm just like you—a woman confined to the inner chambers. What could I possibly do?" "Sister-in-law..." "Hmph, let's go!" Old Madame Song pulled Madame Jiang away. "No need to beg her. We'll go find the County Mistress!" When County Princess Rongjia learned of Old Madame's and Madame Jiang's purpose, she looked troubled. "This kind of matter—so many people witnessed it, and it was handled by Cui Zeyu personally. I'm afraid Cui Zeyu won't easily let Second Master off. Otherwise, he wouldn't have arrested him in the first place." "Then what do we do?" Madame Jiang was frantic. Her child had just been born. If her husband lost his official position or was exiled, what would happen to her and the child? Old Madame Song was also deeply concerned about her second son's safety. "The County Mistress is capable. We believe you must have a way to save him." "Well, I really can't be certain about that. Old Madame knows that I have no say in the Marquis Mansion—Sister Cui handles all the affairs. Haven't you gone to see Sister Cui? Come to think of it, Cui Zeyu is still her younger brother." County Princess Rongjia asked knowingly. She wasn't agreeing right away—she had her own considerations. Back then, Old Madame and the Marquis hadn't let her manage the household, allowing Cui Lingrong to suppress her at every turn. Now that Old Madame had come to her for help, County Princess Rongjia had to seize the opportunity. Old Madame Song said they had already tried. "Cui-shi refuses to go see Cui Zeyu." "How strange. Why is Sister Cui so hard-hearted?" County Princess Rongjia asked. "We're all family. She and Cui Zeyu are being foolish—if something happens to Second Master, what good would that do them?" "Exactly!" Old Madame Song noticed that County Princess Rongjia kept talking in circles without mentioning going back to the Rong Prince Mansion for help. After carefully mulling over her words, she finally caught on. "County Mistress, rest assured—if you can rescue Second Master, the household management will be yours from now on. I have the final say on this!" She had tolerated Cui Lingrong for too long, especially regarding money. If not for Cui Lingrong pinching every penny, the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion would be living far more respectably! That was exactly what County Princess Rongjia wanted to hear. "Since Old Madame has said so, I'll give it a try. If I fail, don't blame me—I certainly hope Second Master comes out safe." Old Madame Song breathed a sigh of relief. With County Princess Rongjia and the Rong Prince Mansion stepping in, she felt the problem would be easily resolved. Meanwhile, County Princess Rongjia left to visit her natal family. At the prison, Cui Zeyu was leading men in interrogations. As they passed a cell, Song Shucheng rushed to the bars and shouted his name. "Cui Zeyu, stop right there!" Song Shucheng had only been in the prison for two hours and already couldn't bear it. It was filthy and reeking, with the stench of urine—he'd nearly vomited his guts out. "You ungrateful wolf! Have you forgotten who I am?" "Who are you?" Cui Zeyu paused in his steps. "When the Son of Heaven breaks the law, he is judged like any commoner—let alone a minor official like you. Our dynasty's laws clearly state that officials may not participate in gambling, nor enter gambling dens. But what did you do?" "I... I wasn't gambling! I just wandered in by accident!" Song Shucheng hurriedly defended himself. "This is such a trivial matter—one word from you and I'd be released. Why are you so fixated on me?" Song Shucheng wanted to win back his losses. During his time locked up, all he'd thought about was how to recoup his money. He'd finally gotten a chance to get out, and he'd only won two rounds of money before Cui Zeyu burst in with his men. His luck had been especially good today—he might have won back everything with interest. But instead, the gambling den was raided and he was arrested. He hated Cui Zeyu. Why did he have to show up at this moment? Even if he had to make arrests, he could have come tomorrow! "Trivial? You think it's trivial, but others wouldn't see it that way. Song Shucheng, I can see you have not a shred of remorse. Stay here and await your punishment." Cui Zeyu didn't want to waste words on Song Shucheng. "Wait!" Song Shucheng was afraid now. "I'm begging you, alright? For the sake of the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion raising you all those years, let me go! Once I'm out, I'll serve you like an ox or a horse—anything you ask, as long as you release me!" He would remain imprisoned, and Song Shucheng would not only lose his official position but also be exiled. Cui Zeyu, however, showed no sign of relenting. "I wasn't raised by the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion—my sister raised me." No matter how many times, he would make this clear. He owed nothing to the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, only to his sister. "Pah! Your sister still relied on the Marquis Mansion. Without it, what is she but the daughter of some minor official?" Song Shucheng blurted recklessly. "When she and her aunt came to Bianjing, if my mother hadn't agreed to let her in, she'd have been married off to some destitute household by now, let alone you—" Before Song Shucheng could finish, Cui Zeyu reached through the bars and grabbed him by the collar. "Say one more word about my sister, and I'll cut out your tongue!" His eyes were fierce and murderous—he wasn't bluffing. Song Shucheng was momentarily intimidated. It wasn't until long after Cui Zeyu had left that he snapped back to his senses. "Who's he trying to scare? Does he think I'm really afraid? I'll say it—Cui Lingrong is no good, and neither are you!" Song Shucheng cursed until his mouth was tired before stopping. He figured the Marquis Mansion would surely send someone to rescue him, and with the connection to the Rong Prince Mansion, they wouldn't just let him die. That night, Song Shucheng drifted in and out of sleep. By the next day, no one had come to see him. Meanwhile, from the prison nearby, screams of interrogation echoed from time to time. His confidence wavered again, and he began to wail once more. But his cellmate, annoyed by the noise, beat and kicked him until Song Shucheng could no longer cry out. What Song Shucheng didn't know was that today, even County Princess Rongjia couldn't save herself—Prince Rong had knelt directly before the Emperor. Saving him was out of the question.