Chapter 220

Chapter 220: The Du Family Song Shulan froze. He had never seen Cui Lingrong so sharp-tongued. County Princess Rongjia was even more stunned into silence. In the past, whenever she came looking for trouble, Cui Lingrong would always speak in circles. She never expected that now, Lingrong would directly jab at her sore spot. Seeing that neither of them said anything, Cui Lingrong continued, "If the Marquis and the County Princess have no evidence, then please take your leave. Otherwise, if we're making baseless accusations, I could just as easily say that County Princess Rongjia poisoned Jin-ge. Anyone can say such things, can't they?" "I didn't do it!" County Princess Rongjia said immediately. "Then I didn't say it either. Doesn't the County Princess know the saying—do not do unto others what you would not have done unto you?" Cui Lingrong looked at County Princess Rongjia with a half-smile. She only now realized how satisfying it was to trade barbs. County Princess Rongjia fell silent. Even Song Shulan couldn't find words to refute her. He only felt that the Cui Lingrong of today gave him a sense of being unable to see through her. County Princess Rongjia's eyes reddened. Since she couldn't out-argue Cui Lingrong herself, she grabbed Song Shulan's hand and called out, "Master Song." Song Shulan had just opened his mouth when Cui Lingrong spoke first, "Rather than standing here accusing me, the Marquis would do better to think about how to resolve the rumors outside. This matter is neither too big nor too small. It won't affect the Marquis's household much, but I'm afraid the Rong Prince Mansion won't be pleased, and they might take their anger out on you." With that, Cui Lingrong turned and went back inside, telling Dongyun to close the door. Song Shulan was shut outside. County Princess Rongjia saw that Song Shulan couldn't do anything about Cui Lingrong, so she shook off his hand and left. Song Shulan went to knock on the door. "Lingrong, come out. Let's talk." Through the closed door, Cui Lingrong said, "There's nothing to talk about. I understand the Marquis's intentions perfectly well. The person you love is the County Princess. So just go and coax her. I've lived all these years; I don't need to rely on a man's sweet words to survive." "That's not it. What I said that day was only to appease the County Princess," Song Shulan said. "Then you're even more detestable. You want to have the best of both sides. But Marquis, if you want everything, in the end you'll get nothing. You've already disappointed me. If you keep this up, will the County Princess still love you?" Cui Lingrong mocked him mercilessly. "In the past, when your body was whole, you could have a marital spat and make up in bed. But now, what do you have to appease the County Princess with?" She paused, then let out a light laugh. "Marquis, you'd better hurry to Wutong Court. I truly don't need your explanations. I have eyes." If she were seventeen or eighteen, Cui Lingrong would definitely have wanted to hear Song Shulan's explanation. She might even have deceived herself, telling herself that muddling through like this was fine. But she was no longer a young girl. The accumulation of years brought not only changes in appearance but also maturity of mind. Behind the door, Song Shulan heard Cui Lingrong's ruthless words and questioned in confusion, "Do you mean to say that our marriage of over ten years means nothing to you at all?" "Does the Marquis care? Have you ever respected me?" Cui Lingrong looked at the door. "Without my consent, you took an Equal Wife. Without my consent, you gave Caiyue to Zhao Zhongzhi. Do you think I wouldn't get angry, that I would always go along with you?" "I did everything for the good of the Marquis's household. If the household prospers, then Xuan-ge and the others will prosper. How have you become so petty?" Song Shulan said that Lingrong had changed. "You weren't like this before." "The Marquis jokes. Is it me who has changed, or is it you?" Cui Lingrong didn't want to say more. "Marquis, please leave. From now on, we'll live as we always have, but you are you, and I am I. There's no need to pretend to be a loving couple anymore." No matter what Song Shulan said from behind the door, Cui Lingrong no longer responded. When Song Shulan grew tired of talking, he left. Cui Lingrong sighed softly. "Dongyun, in the future, you must also keep your eyes wide open. Don't be deceived by a man's momentary sweet words. What matters most is having money and power in your own hands." Dongyun looked at the First Young Madam with a pained heart. She had many things she wanted to say, but in the end, she simply nodded. "This servant understands." While Cui Lingrong busied herself with her own affairs, Song Shulan, on the other hand, was furious and went off to drink again. Early the next morning, Yuan Mingzhu came rushing over excitedly. She had heard the gossip about County Princess Rongjia and had come specifically to chat with Cui Lingrong about it. "I heard it from my eldest sister-in-law. She even asked me if it was true, saying that since you and I are close, you'd surely tell me. But she's a big mouth, so I wouldn't tell her anything. Still, you've known about this for a long time—why is it only spreading now?" Yuan Mingzhu asked. Cui Lingrong told her about the Caiyue matter. "I still need to use Song Shulan's affairs to keep him in check. Since County Princess Rongjia wanted to fan the flames, I might as well disgust her in return. Yesterday they came over, and I gave them a good scolding. I only realized how satisfying it is to curse without holding back!" "Exactly! In the past, you were too much of a proper lady. You never did anything to your heart's content. Others praised you for being thorough, but in reality, you were the one suffering in silence." Yuan Mingzhu was especially delighted. "The fact that you can do this shows that Song Shulan is completely out of your heart. That man is blinded by greed and ambition—he's not worth your regard." Cui Lingrong agreed. "If you ask me, you should be a bit more carefree. If they make you unhappy, make trouble for them every day." Yuan Mingzhu brought up her own elder sister. "Take my sister, for example. When the Duchess of Dingguo gave her so much pressure, she didn't care at all. Life is only a few decades—she said who knows when we might pass away, so why not enjoy the second half of our lives?" Speaking of the elder Yuan sister, Cui Lingrong asked, "I heard from my cousin that your sister is with child?" "Yes, she finally has a child of her own." Yuan Mingzhu's eyes curved into a smile. "She also asked me to persuade you—life is yours to live. Even for the sake of your three children, don't wrong yourself too much. Children have their own blessings. You can arrange Yu-jie's future well, but as for Xuan-ge and Jin-ge, they're boys—they can carve out their own futures." Cui Lingrong said sheepishly, "She still remembers me." "Of course. My sister lived in Bianjing for over a decade, and there are very few people she'd think of." Yuan Mingzhu said. Cui Lingrong nodded. Since Yuan Mingzhu had brought up Yu-jie, she shared her thoughts. "But Yu-jie says she hasn't thought about it." "Speaking of which, is Yu-jie's Ji-pin ceremony next month or the month after?" Yuan Mingzhu couldn't quite remember. "The month after next." Cui Lingrong said. "You'll have to come then—you're a woman of good fortune. Second Master Jiang treats you well, and you have both a son and a daughter." "What's so good about me? You know my mother-in-law—she hoped for a cultured and refined daughter-in-law, but I ended up marrying into her family. The only reason I could come out today is because she took my eldest sister-in-law to burn incense. Lingrong, I miss you so much. When you have time, let's go on an outing together and bring the children along—it'll be more fun for them too." Yuan Mingzhu said she had trouble going out, but with Cui Lingrong accompanying her, her mother-in-law would agree. Cui Lingrong smiled and said yes. Time with a close friend always flew by. By the time she saw Yuan Mingzhu off, it was already dusk. Song Yu had just come over to prepare for dinner when Dongyun entered from outside, saying someone from the Du family had arrived. "Which Du family?" Song Yu asked. She didn't recall the Marquis's household having any relatives surnamed Du. "The County Mistress's former husband's family. The gatekeeper asked what to do—they're already resting in the side room." Dongyun went to see the eldest young mistress.