Chapter 206

Chapter 206: The Zhuang Family Song Mingjin had never met his maternal cousin-uncle before, and his curiosity about him was nearly worn away by the waiting. In the teahouse, Song Mingjin stared eagerly at the canal. "It's already been an hour—why haven't they arrived yet?" "How can they be that punctual?" Cui Lingrong explained patiently. "When you set out, you have to mind the weather. Just because it isn't raining in Bianjing doesn't mean it isn't elsewhere. And in winter, when it snows, sometimes the fog is so thick you can't see a thing, and you're forced to stop. Just wait—they might not even make it today." "Then why did we have to come to the dock? Couldn't Nanny Qiu and the others have handled it?" Song Mingjin was bored, propping his head up with one hand. "Now that Lu Weijie is gone from the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, things are less interesting for me. When he was around, competing with him made things more exciting." "You, you—how can you have no patience at all?" Song Yu told her younger brother to wait calmly. "If you're like this, how will you ever sit for the Imperial Examination?" Song Mingjin pouted. Unable to sit still, he got up and went to wander around the dock. After her brother left, Song Yu brought up the matter of County Princess Rongjia. "Mother, what do you think the County Mistress will do this time?" "The Son of Heaven's intentions—how could we possibly know? What I can be certain of is that the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion will still be under my stewardship. As for County Princess Rongjia, as long as the Rong Prince Mansion stands, she will always be protected." Cui Lingrong had no power to topple the prince's mansion. She gazed at the distant boats, and with every vessel that passed, she wondered whether it might be her cousin's. But the first to arrive was Luo Feng. Upon learning that Cui Lingrong and her daughter were also at the dock, Luo Feng came over specially to greet them. "My mother sent things over with Uncle Zhuang, so I came to the dock to receive him as well," Luo Feng said. The Zhuang family—that was Cui Lingrong's maternal cousin's household. Since arriving in Bianjing last year, Luo Feng had stayed on, and through Cui Lingrong's help, he had entered Lingyun Academy to study. His family had originally wanted him to inherit the family business, and he had been studying medicine, but last year he said he wanted to pursue scholarship instead, so the Luo family arranged for him to study in Bianjing. "Then sit with us and have some tea." Cui Lingrong asked about Luo Feng's studies, chatting casually. Song Yu had been to Suzhou, so she could converse more with Luo Feng. The two chatted about Suzhou for a while, when Er Shun came running over to say the boat had arrived. Cui Lingrong hurriedly led everyone to the dock. Zhuang Huaiming stood at the bow of the ship. Cui Lingrong spotted her cousin at once and smiled, pressing her lips together. Qi-jie'er was especially excited to see Song Yu, waving happily and shouting, "Cousin Yu!" During her time in Suzhou, Song Yu had eaten and slept alongside Zhuang Qi, and the two had grown close. She couldn't help calling out loudly in return, "Cousin Qi!" The two were two years apart in age. Zhuang Qi hadn't yet fully grown into her looks. The young man beside her was her elder brother—only fifteen, yet composed and self-possessed, reminding Zhuang Qi to mind her bearing. "Brother, you're far too stuffy. I finally get to see Cousin Yu—of course I want to be warm and affectionate!" Zhuang Qi huffed. The moment the boat docked, she scrambled down and threw her arms around Song Yu. "Cousin Yu, I missed you so much! Ever since you left, I've had no appetite for food or tea—I've only been thinking about when I could see you again!" Song Yu said she had missed her cousin dearly too. Seeing her maternal uncle and cousin-brother step off the boat, she composed herself and performed the proper greetings. "Greetings to Uncle. Greetings to Cousin Xiuzhu." She was like a radiant sunflower, dazzling even in the winter chill. Zhuang Xiuzhu glanced at her only once before hastily looking away. If one looked closely, one could see his ears had turned red. "Yu-jie'er has grown more elegant and graceful with each passing day!" Zhuang Huaiming praised, then turned to catch up with Cui Lingrong. "You've worked hard, Cousin Rong—managing the estate for me and coming all the way to receive my family. Have you been waiting long?" Cui Lingrong said it hadn't been long. Seeing her cousin brought a wave of warmth and familiarity. She had been taken in by her aunt at the age of three. Her cousin was four years her senior and had always yielded to her in everything. The two had grown up together like childhood sweethearts, their bond as close as that of siblings. At one point, her aunt had nearly arranged for her to marry her cousin, hoping to strengthen the family ties, but in the end, Old Madame of the Zhuang family had objected, and the match never came to pass. "You're the ones who have worked hard. I've already prepared the carriages—let's hurry back to rest. The Marquis is already at the Zhuang residence waiting for you." As Cui Lingrong spoke, a young woman came down the gangplank holding the hand of a four- or five-year-old girl. She smiled and greeted, "Concubine Lu." Madame Hua's health had been poor for a long time, so she had given her personal maid her status as a concubine and arranged for the honest and dependable Concubine Lu to attend to her cousin. Concubine Lu had previously borne a son, but the child had not survived a bout of smallpox. The girl she was holding now was five-year-old Zhuang Lu. Lu-jie'er was young, and after days of travel, she was listless, clinging tightly to Concubine Lu's hand and refusing to offer greetings. Concubine Lu was full of apology. "I'm terribly sorry—Lu-jie'er isn't feeling well. Please don't hold it against her." Cui Lingrong was not so petty. "The journey has been long and arduous—truly tiring. Let's not talk anymore. Let's hurry back." The Zhuang family was small in number. Both her aunt and uncle had passed away, and they had only raised her cousin, so this trip to Bianjing consisted only of her cousin's immediate family. Cui Lingrong shared a carriage with the two young girls, while Zhuang Huaiming and his son rode together with Song Mingjin, who had hurried back. Concubine Lu and her daughter occupied a separate carriage. Inside the carriage, Zhuang Qi pushed open the wooden window, curious about everything outside. "Cousin, Bianjing is so bustling!" Song Yu leaned close to her younger cousin, both looking out as she introduced things one by one. "Of course—Bianjing is the capital, with countless merchants coming and going. See those with dark skin? They are Kunlun slaves brought from very, very far away. It's cold now, or the streets would be even livelier. When the Lantern Festival comes around, I'll take you to see the lanterns—it's great fun!" Zhuang Qi listened with great interest, already looking forward to the New Year and the Lantern Festival. The Zhuang residence was not large—after all, land in Bianjing was worth its weight in gold—just a bit over two courtyards. It had been purchased when Cui Lingrong's uncle-in-law was still alive, meant as temporary lodging for the Zhuang family's descendants taking the Imperial Examination. Song Shulan, having learned that Zhuang Huaiming had arrived in Bianjing, came over early in the morning. When he saw Zhuang Huaiming, the smile on his face deepened. Zhuang Huaiming had real achievements to his name and was personally promoted by The Emperor—his future was boundless. "Cousin!" Song Shulan greeted him warmly, but Zhuang Huaiming only gave a brief smile. Having learned that Song Shulan had taken an Equal Wife, Zhuang Huaiming's impression of him had soured. It was fine for a man to want to bring glory to his ancestors, but climbing the ranks by relying on a woman was truly contemptible. Still, constrained by their kinship, Zhuang Huaiming managed to deal with Song Shulan politely. Cui Lingrong and Concubine Lu walked together at the back. Since the cousin's wife had just passed away and the mourning period for the aunt was not yet over, the cousin would not be taking a Successor Wife anytime soon. Thus, all matters of the Zhuang household fell to Concubine Lu to manage. Cui Lingrong explained everything to her one by one. Fortunately, Concubine Lu had helped manage the household while Lady Hua was alive, so these matters were not difficult for her. Everyone took their seats and the feast began. Song Shulan kept saying flattering things, and after several rounds of wine, he started talking about his disappointing younger brother, hoping Zhuang Huaiming would pick up the thread. But neither father nor son of the Zhuang family took the bait. As for Yu-jie and her younger brother, they had been instructed by Cui Lingrong and likewise did not respond. Only Zhuang Qi, in her innocence, asked what was the matter. "Ah, it's my younger brother being foolish. But he's truly scared this time. When I went to see him, in just a few days, his cheeks had sunken in considerably." Song Shulan raised his wine cup. "Cousin, I feel an instant kinship with you. I know I'm putting you in a difficult position, but my brother's matter is truly—" "Marquis Song, we are both court officials. You should know that the law knows no favoritism. Setting aside whether I even have such ability, I must advise you: do not take crooked paths, lest you bring trouble upon yourself." Zhuang Huaiming was a stickler for rules; from childhood to adulthood, he did whatever his parents arranged. Later, when he entered officialdom, he was diligent and conscientious, never sending gifts or currying favor with the powerful. So he deeply despised Song Shulan for clinging to the Rong Prince Mansion, and the fact that Song Shulan was his cousin's husband made him dislike him even more. Song Shulan had intended to pour out his grievances, only to be lectured to his face by Zhuang Huaiming. And once Zhuang Huaiming started, he kept going—from personal conduct to the way of governance—all about how Song Shulan was doing things wrong. Song Mingjin grew drowsy from listening, and Zhuang Qi felt the same. The two couldn't sit still and dragged Song Yu off to tour the Zhuang residence. Only Zhuang Xiuzhu sat quietly, occasionally nodding in agreement with his father's words. Luo Feng, being a guest, felt too embarrassed to go play with Song Yu and the others, so he had to endure it. He hadn't expected Uncle Zhuang to be so rigidly proper—Marquis Song was in for a rough time.