Chapter 229

Chapter 229: Affection It was two days later that Cui Lingrong arrived at the Du family's second branch residence. As always, she was thorough in her external affairs—first sending a formal invitation, waiting for a reply, and only then paying a visit. When she arrived, Mrs. He sent one of her trusted maids to receive her. "Knowing you were coming, the Second Young Madam had refreshments prepared early this morning. Marchioness Song, please follow me. Oh, why is Yu-jie not here today?" "The weather has been changeable lately, and Yu-jie caught a chill. I was afraid she wouldn't recover in time and it would delay her Ji-pin ceremony, so I thought it better to let her rest at home," Cui Lingrong said. When she met Mrs. He, the latter predictably asked about Yu-jie as well, and Cui Lingrong repeated the same explanation. The two women chatted about household matters for a while before Cui Lingrong hesitantly glanced around. Mrs. He knew Cui Lingrong had something to say, so she dismissed the servants, keeping only her most trusted confidante. Only then did Cui Lingrong speak. "A few days ago, County Princess Rongjia sent people to the Du residence. I don't know what it was about, but judging by her demeanor, I fear she might be investigating matters that could be unfavorable to you." Mrs. He's expression faltered for a moment, but she quickly recovered her smile. Though she forced herself to appear composed, Cui Lingrong could still detect a hint of unease. "Sister, did you truly come to Bianjing only for the sake of getting Cheng-ge'er and the others into the Guozijian?" Cui Lingrong asked. She needed to feign ignorance—if she revealed she knew the true backgrounds of Mrs. He and Du Shinan, they would distance themselves and grow wary of her. Mrs. He knew she couldn't be too absolute. "It was indeed for that reason. Another is that my husband lost his official post, and we thought since we still have some relatives in Bianjing, we might see if we could find some connections." "I see." Cui Lingrong tactfully did not press further. Since the topic had come up, Mrs. He asked, "I've heard that Sister Cui's cousin and younger brother both hold high positions. Could you perhaps ask them to see if there's a suitable vacancy for my husband?" "Of course. Since you've asked, I'll certainly help. Though I'm not familiar with official matters, I can at least pass along a word on your behalf." Cui Lingrong agreed with a smile. Moreover, with this pretext, she could legitimately learn more about the Du family's affairs—after all, filling a vacancy required investigating one's registered origin and background; it wasn't something that could be arranged casually. Mrs. He was pleased to hear this, thinking that Lady Cui seemed more sincere and honest, unlike County Princess Rongjia, who was both malicious and difficult to deal with. The two conversed pleasantly, and Cui Lingrong even stayed for lunch at the Du residence. It was only when Cui Lingrong said she needed to deliver the message to her cousin that Mrs. He escorted her to the door. As soon as Cui Lingrong left, Mrs. He went to find Du Shinan and happily told him that Cui Lingrong had agreed to help. "I think Lady Cui might have more connections after all. Her cousin is already a Minister with real power in his hands." "She was willing to help? Why?" Du Shinan was puzzled. "Oh, can't you see it clearly?" Mrs. He laughed. "When we visited the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, she saw how County Princess Rongjia treated us. County Princess Rongjia stole her man and is trying to seize her authority—do you think she doesn't want to destroy County Princess Rongjia?" "So she's showing us goodwill because she wants to scheme against County Princess Rongjia? First she tells us that County Princess Rongjia and Song Shulan were childhood sweethearts, and now she says County Princess Rongjia sent people to investigate us." Du Shinan snorted. "This Lady Cui certainly has plenty of schemes." "Whether she has schemes or not, what does it matter? Lady Cui can pass us information and keep County Princess Rongjia in check—that's good for us." Mrs. He most enjoyed seeing County Princess Rongjia suffer humiliation. Du Shinan reminded her, "Don't forget—if County Princess Rongjia falls, who will handle matters for us? Will the Rong Prince Mansion still listen to our demands?" The two questions stumped Mrs. He. "Then... what should we do?" "Don't do anything for now. Agree with whatever Lady Cui says. If she truly can secure me an official position, then we can also reveal some things to her, letting her use them against County Princess Rongjia." Du Shinan hadn't lost his senses—they and Lady Cui shared no prior bond, so how could there be such instant friendship? It was simply mutual exploitation. Mrs. He nodded repeatedly in agreement. On the other side, Cui Lingrong went to the Zhuang residence. Her cousin was naturally not at home, so she explained to Zhuang Xiuzhu, "I'm just going through the motions—letting your father know about this matter, but he doesn't need to act on it. If he ever runs into Du Shinan in the future, he can just make up some excuse to brush him off." With that, she was about to leave, but Zhuang Xiuzhu invited her to stay for tea. Qi-jie'er came running in hurriedly and was disappointed not to see Yu-jie. "Auntie, are you leaving as soon as you arrived?" "Yes, I came to see your father about something." Cui Lingrong could see what the young girl was thinking. "You want to play with Yu-jie, don't you? Later, tell your father, and I'll have someone send Yu-jie over to you. How about that?" She had initially thought of inviting Qi-jie'er over instead, but considering the state of the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, she decided against it. The Zhuang household was simple and uncomplicated—having her daughter come over would give her some relaxation as well. Zhuang Qi naturally agreed. "Alright! I'll tell Father today!" After leaving the Zhuang residence, Cui Lingrong went on to the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. After waiting for nearly half an hour, she finally saw her younger brother rushing back in a flurry. "No need to rush. Look at you—you're an official now, yet you still act like a teenager?" "Whenever I hear my sister has come, I always want to hurry." Cui Zeyu was overjoyed to see his sister. After hearing about the Du family's second branch, he immediately said, "Alright, I'll send someone to find Du Shinan. Since he's useful to you, I'll go to the Cao family to dig up something on him." Whatever involved his sister was always right. "No rush. The Du family's second branch lives in the Rong Prince Mansion's estate. If I go to see them today, the Rong Prince Mansion will certainly find out. As for the leverage they hold, I've thought about it for a long time but still can't figure out what it could be—something so serious that it allows the Du family to blackmail the Rong Prince Mansion and County Princess Rongjia." Cui Lingrong smiled. "You should have seen it—when County Princess Rongjia was being threatened, the look of wanting to lash out but daring not to. How utterly pathetic." Cui Zeyu said he could imagine it. "If we can find evidence of this matter, maybe we can make County Princess Rongjia leave the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, and then your days can return to how they were before." Cui Lingrong thought to herself that things could never truly go back. Still, without County Princess Rongjia as that thorn in her side, at least she might sleep a little better at night. After finishing the discussion about the Du family's second branch, Cui Zeyu eagerly tugged at his sister's sleeve, then pulled out from somewhere a walnut carved into a small boat. "Take a look—I made this with my own hands. Do you like it, sister?" Every time he missed his sister, he would take it out at night. On the little boat was a beautiful woman, carved according to his sister's figure. Cui Lingrong instinctively looked at Cui Zeyu's fingers and noticed many scratches. Her heart ached. "I only mentioned once that carved walnut boats were exquisite—it's not like I'm particularly fond of them. Did you have to carve one yourself? And making these little trinkets requires serious effort and learning from a master. Where would you find the time?" "No matter how busy I am, I can make time." Cui Zeyu's eyes curved into crescents. "As long as my sister likes it, it's worth it." The Duke of Dingguo, who had just arrived at the doorway, overheard this remark. His gaze fell upon his son, who was hunched forward, that careful, fawning eagerness, and the affection he couldn't hide in his eyes—if that wasn't love, then what was it?