Chapter 218

Chapter 218: Cutting Words Song Shulan couldn't do anything substantial, so he could only placate County Princess Rongjia with empty words. County Princess Rongjia had been stirred into a mood, forgetting that Song Shulan couldn't perform, and reached out to touch him when he suddenly grabbed her wrist. Song Shulan awkwardly changed the subject. "You know my feelings, County Princess. Don't think such things anymore. In my heart, you are the most important. I'll have Lady Cui apologize to you later—how does that sound?" "Master Song must be joking. Would Sister Cui be willing?" County Princess Rongjia didn't believe it. Song Shulan said, "If she's unwilling, I have plenty of ways to deal with her." In front of a woman, Song Shulan couldn't lose face, and besides, this matter truly was Cui Lingrong's fault—no matter what, she shouldn't have resorted to physical violence. Only then did County Princess Rongjia say with satisfaction, "You said it yourself." Her voice trailed off with coy shyness as she leaned into Song Shulan's embrace. She could clearly feel the heat of the man's body, yet couldn't proceed to the next step. To say she wasn't disappointed would be a lie. Just then, neither Song Shulan nor County Princess Rongjia expected Cui Lingrong to suddenly push open the door and enter. Cui Lingrong had intended to leave, but upon hearing Song Shulan and County Princess Rongjia promise that she would apologize, she pushed the door open and barged in. "Lingrong?" Song Shulan looked over in surprise. "What are you doing here?" Song Shulan hastily pushed County Princess Rongjia away from his embrace. The two of them were disheveled, truly a loss of dignity. "I came to discuss Yu-jie's matter with the Marquis. I never expected to stumble upon the Marquis and County Princess's little rendezvous." Cui Lingrong suppressed her anger, her gaze moving from County Princess Rongjia to rest on Song Shulan. "I came in just to say this: regardless of whatever purpose the Marquis had in marrying me originally, I am the lawful wife—that is an unchangeable fact. As for the County Princess, I'll say it again: you will never get an apology from me. If you have the guts, then let's tear things apart. If I can't live, you won't fare well either!" Having delivered her words, Cui Lingrong turned and left. Song Shulan chased after her in a panic. "Lingrong, you... you heard everything?" "Heard what?" Cui Lingrong countered. "Heard that you and County Princess Rongjia were childhood sweethearts, but fate played tricks and you missed each other for over a decade? Or heard you say that marrying me was your parents' command and that you never had any real affection for me?" Cui Lingrong had originally thought that despite being married to Song Shulan for many years—even though he was now solely focused on official rank and advancement—he had once harbored genuine feelings for her. But there were none. She was merely a wife who served as a tool. Song Shulan had no affection for her, and therefore no respect. He took an Equal Wife whenever he wanted, and sent away her maidservants whenever he pleased. At this moment, Cui Lingrong had completely lost all hope in Song Shulan as a person. "No..." Song Shulan had just opened his mouth when County Princess Rongjia emerged from the room. A single call of "Master Song" made him stop in his tracks and turn to look at her. He was caught in the middle, so torn that he didn't know what to do. County Princess Rongjia went from flustered to smug, with a hint of curiosity. "Why is Sister Cui making such a fuss? Surely you didn't just find out about me and Master Song?" The people of the Marquis Mansion weren't so lacking in tact as to deliberately go tell Cui Lingrong about this. As for Old Madame Song and Song Shulan, they certainly wouldn't bring it up on their own, because they had guilty consciences. As for others—perhaps they didn't dare speak of it, or were afraid of courting trouble—which was why Cui Lingrong only learned of it now. Was she terribly upset? No. It was more absurd than anything. Cui Lingrong had conducted herself according to her aunt's teachings, believing she had done nothing to wrong the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, yet she still hadn't earned a decent marriage in return. Had her aunt taught her wrong? Should she not have been a virtuous, rule-abiding wife? No. That wasn't it at all. The truth was that she should never have married Song Shulan in the first place. "Marquis, you now feel that being able to marry County Princess Rongjia is the reunion of your fated bond. Do you regret not having married County Princess Rongjia from the very beginning?" Cui Lingrong deliberately turned cutting at this moment. "If you had married County Princess Rongjia from the start, that would have been quite something—you'd probably have ended up like Elder Master Du, without a single heir to carry on your line." She paused, then emphasized, "After all, County Princess Rongjia cannot bear children, and she didn't allow Elder Master Du's concubines to bear any either." County Princess Rongjia had been married into the Du family for so many years—if she had agreed, Elder Master Du wouldn't have ended up without a single offspring. Cui Lingrong admitted that saying such things was cruel, but if she didn't say it, she would feel sick to her stomach. Before Song Shulan and County Princess Rongjia could react, Cui Lingrong turned and left. Her figure quickly disappeared into the pitch-black rainy night, leaving only the "pitter-patter" of rain around them. "Master Song!" County Princess Rongjia hadn't expected to be so sharply mocked to her face by Cui Lingrong. "Did you hear what she said? Was she cursing me to die without descendants, or calling me jealous and spiteful?" County Princess Rongjia stamped her foot in fury. "You heard her, didn't you? How dare she say such things about me?" For a brief moment, Song Shulan agreed with what Cui Lingrong had said—County Princess Rongjia couldn't bear children, and Elder Master Du indeed had left no heirs. If he had married County Princess Rongjia, given her willful nature in the past, she indeed wouldn't have allowed him to take concubines. "Master Song, did you hear what I said?" County Princess Rongjia shook Song Shulan's arm. "I don't care—if you don't make Cui Lingrong apologize and make amends to me, I'm not done with her!" She huffed and ran out into the rain, with Wang Hechun's Wife chasing after her, holding up an umbrella. After a long while, Qingshan finally came over, trembling. "Marquis, the night dew is heavy. Would you like to return to your room first?" "The eldest mistress came—why didn't you tell me?" Song Shulan vented his anger. "I wanted to, but the eldest mistress wouldn't let me," Qingshan said, caught between a rock and a hard place—damned if he did, damned if he didn't. "Are you a blockhead? If the eldest mistress wouldn't let you, couldn't you find a way to hint at it?" Song Shulan was full of fury. "Now look what's happened—neither of them is giving me a good face. Think you can go soothe them?" Qingshan hung his head and dared not speak another word. Song Shulan looked at the empty courtyard. There was nowhere for him to go now, so he could only turn and head back inside. Meanwhile, after Cui Lingrong returned to Qiushuang Zhai, she kept no one by her side. She stood behind the window, listening to the patter of the rain. This rain seemed to have no intention of stopping. Cui Lingrong had been the model young lady of Suzhou since childhood—anyone who had ever met her could find no fault in her conduct. As she grew older, this was even more true. Her aunt had hoped she would marry well, and since there was no suitable match in Suzhou, she brought her to Bianjing to select a husband. After much deliberation, she chose Song Shulan. She had thought it was simply that people's hearts change, but it turned out to be that once you've seen the best, nothing else compares—she had simply never entered Song Shulan's heart. Fortunately, she hadn't known from the start. Having been through so much, Cui Lingrong had long lost any affection for Song Shulan. She merely thought that, as husband and wife, for the sake of their children, she ought to maintain this marriage that was hollow at its core. And now? Cui Lingrong asked herself. What should she do now? That night, Cui Lingrong did not sleep at all. The next morning, when Nanny Qiu hurried back, Cui Lingrong thought Caixia had given birth, but that wasn't it. "Caiyue came to find me and told me about your quarrel with the Marquis. I couldn't rest easy about you, so I came back early. As for Caixia, I've arranged for another experienced matron to attend her, along with Caiyue—you needn't worry, eldest mistress." Seeing the dark circles under her mistress's eyes, Nanny Qiu asked with concern, "Eldest mistress, are you alright?" "I'm fine." Cui Lingrong smiled at Nanny Qiu. "The sky hasn't fallen. There's always a way to live well. Come, let's go see Yu-jie." Having served her mistress for many years, Nanny Qiu could tell that her mistress was trying hard to stay composed, that something serious weighed on her heart. But since her mistress said so, she took it at face value. The two went to see Yu-jie. Seeing how much weight Yu-jie had lost, Nanny Qiu felt even more distressed. "My dear girl, why are you so stubborn? Look—there's no flesh left on your face!" "I'm fine, Nanny Qiu. A couple days of good eating and I'll be back to normal." Song Yu said, "But Mother, you look very tired?" Cui Lingrong admitted she was a bit. "I was thinking all night. What do you think of Feng-ge'er and Xiuzhu?"