Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Making Amends The Old Madame wanted Cui Lingrong to smooth things over, but at this moment, Cui Lingrong was in no hurry to speak, because Princess Rongjia had arrived. The one managing affairs was Princess Rongjia. Fearing that Cui Lingrong would place all the blame on her, she hurried over with Wang Shanxi's Wife. Upon seeing that it was Xie Yunting causing trouble, a flicker of disdain passed through Princess Rongjia's eyes. "General Xie, please don't be angry. If there's anything lacking in the Marquis Mansion's hospitality, do tell us." Because Song Shulan was present, and Wang Shanxi's Wife had reminded her, Princess Rongjia suppressed her temper and forced a smile. "Today the mansion has received many guests, so oversights are inevitable. Please do forgive us." Xie Yunting let out a cold chuckle. Hearing someone say this was Princess Rongjia, he raised one eyebrow. "The Marquis Mansion is managed by the Commandery Princess?" Princess Rongjia said it was. "Good. Since you're the one in charge, then I'll speak with you." Xie Yunting kept one foot planted on a stool, grinning roguishly. "If it were a mistake, one or two crabs with broken legs would be understandable. But every table here has them. Back in our village, even a landlord hosting a feast wouldn't serve a chicken missing a leg. Are you looking down on us folks, unwilling to put on a proper show of respect?" "How could that be!" Princess Rongjia clenched her back teeth. If the ox cart transporting the autumn crabs hadn't been hit, how could this have happened? Song Shulan also spoke up. "General Xie, your words are too severe. Our Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion has stood in Bianjing for a hundred years—how could we possibly do something so disgraceful?" "The facts are right before your eyes, and many people haven't even had a chance to eat yet. If Marquis Song doesn't believe me, by all means, go take a look?" Xie Yunting sneered coldly. "When I pointed out that the crabs were problematic and not top quality, your servant said that's just how they were, looking at me like I'd never seen the world. Yes, I come from humble origins and haven't seen much of the world. So this is how your Marquis Mansion treats its guests!" Xie Yunting kicked the stool aside and turned to leave. Song Shulan's head was spinning. If Xie Yunting left like this, the Marquis Mansion would be talked about to death. He hurried forward to offer his apologies. "My apologies. The household is busy today, and the servant certainly meant no disrespect. Since General Xie has come, why not stay for a cup of tea? Let's value harmony above all." Princess Rongjia couldn't lower herself to beg Xie Yunting again. With so many people watching, bowing her head to a ruffian would make her a laughingstock. Wang Shanxi's Wife grew anxious watching this and decided to speak on her mistress's behalf. "Indeed, General Xie. Every guest was sincerely invited by the Marquis Mansion—there is absolutely no intention of looking down on anyone." "Then let me ask you—this is how you entertain guests? With these crabs?" Xie Yunting's eyes were full of mockery. At that moment, Cui Zeyu, who had drifted over, remarked quietly, "In past years when my sister managed affairs, everyone was served top-quality autumn crabs, no matter who they were. This year, I wonder why it's turned out this way?" Princess Rongjia had just publicly admitted she was the one managing affairs. Those who regularly attended the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion's autumn banquet also knew Cui Zeyu was right, but they didn't dare offend Princess Rongjia, so only a few nodded, and no one picked up the thread. Song Shulan shot him a cold glare. He had never liked Cui Zeyu—a picked-up stray, what was he anyway, stirring up trouble here! Cui Zeyu pretended not to notice and continued, "There's a sweet soup shop near Fan Tower. General Xie, would you care to join me? It'll help cool your temper." Xie Yunting immediately agreed, finding Cui Zeyu a straightforward fellow. At this, Song Shulan looked at Cui Lingrong. "This is the fine brother you've raised!" Cui Lingrong had no choice but to step forward. "Zeyu, don't cause trouble." She walked to her brother's side and gave Xie Yunting a slight nod. "General Xie, please stay. The Marquis Mansion treats all guests equally—everyone was prepared top-quality autumn crabs." As Cui Lingrong spoke, Nanny Qiu led a group of maids and matrons carrying steamed top-quality autumn crabs. Cui Lingrong continued, "Every year during transport, there is some loss. These crabs with missing legs and claws are reserved for the servants. This year, the Marquis Mansion truly made an error and served the wrong crabs. Please forgive us, General." The woman before him spoke softly and reasonably, and when he lowered his gaze, her face was as lovely as a flower. Xie Yunting glanced at the plump crabs on the table but wasn't buying it. "Whether it was a genuine mistake or an after-the-fact remedy, you all know best in your hearts." Xie Yunting still wanted to leave. He did things as he pleased—overturning the table meant he was displeased, and he wouldn't force himself to stay. The Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion couldn't keep Xie Yunting, but with good crabs offered as compensation, the other guests naturally gave face and treated it as a misunderstanding. Song Shulan still didn't understand what had happened in the kitchen. Seeing top-quality crabs brought out to make up for it, he breathed a slight sigh of relief and went around socializing with the guests one by one. Princess Rongjia, meanwhile, felt her heart pounding. She hadn't ordered that many top-quality autumn crabs—where had Cui Lingrong found them? The small incident came to an end, and everyone quickly returned to drinking and merrymaking. After the banquet dispersed, Mama Xu came looking for someone. Nanny Qiu said, "The Eldest Young Madam was pressed with drink after drink, and on top of that, she ate too much cold food. The food may have clashed—she's vomited several times just now. It's the Old Madame who wants to question her, isn't it? I'll go back with you. Anything about the Eldest Young Madam, you can ask me." Mama Xu heard the sound of retching coming from the room, confirming that the eldest young mistress had indeed eaten something she shouldn't have. She then brought Nanny Qiu to Shouan Tang. By the time they arrived, Song Shulan and Princess Rongjia were already there. Today, Old Madame Song had also summoned everyone from the second and third branches of the family—clearly, she was furious. Upon learning that Cui Lingrong had ingested something harmful, Old Madame Song fixed her gaze on Nanny Qiu. "You explain—how did Cui prepare so many autumn crabs?" Old Madame Song had just interrogated Princess Rongjia and questioned everyone in the main kitchen one by one. She learned that the autumn crabs sent to the main kitchen were indeed divided into top-grade and mid-grade, not all top-grade. Adding to the incident, Madame Jiang had also known when the crabs with broken legs were served. By now, Madame Jiang and her husband had been kneeling for half an hour. Her knees were sore and swollen, and though she dared not shift all the blame onto the princess, she felt deeply wronged. Nanny Qiu had long since rehearsed her story with the eldest young mistress. "When the main kitchen went to invite the princess, the eldest young mistress sensed something amiss and sent this old servant to investigate. Only then did we learn that the oxcart delivering the crabs had been in a collision. Since the eldest young mistress wasn't in charge of the household affairs, she didn't know how many crabs the princess had prepared, or whether there would be enough for the banquet after accounting for losses. To be safe, the eldest young mistress had Caixia first go to inquire with the crab merchants. Since it's now autumn crab season, most merchants had no stock left. Fortunately, luck was on our side—one merchant's crabs had been abandoned by a buyer, which resolved the immediate crisis." Everyone in the room was watching Nanny Qiu. She represented the eldest young mistress at this moment, and her words carried the same weight. Wang Shanxi's Wife seized on a loophole. "Even if she found a crab merchant, how could the eldest young mistress have anticipated that someone would cause trouble and fresh crabs would be needed?" "On that point, the eldest young mistress truly could not have foreseen it. But she knew that serving mid-grade crabs to guests would inevitably invite criticism, so she paid out of her own pocket to have the merchant deliver the crabs first. The eldest young mistress did this for the marquis household's reputation—it was simply a precaution. As for why she didn't inform the princess beforehand—first, the situation was urgent; General Xie had already started making a scene, and without steaming more crabs, they truly couldn't silence the crowd. Second, the eldest young mistress was afraid the princess might think she was overstepping." Nanny Qiu sighed as she spoke. "The eldest young mistress only wanted harmony in the household, but she also genuinely feared being misunderstood by the princess." This explanation was reasoned and well-supported. Even Wang Shanxi's Wife couldn't find a logical flaw for the moment. Princess Rongjia had been suspecting all along that Cui Lingrong had manipulated things—how else could she have so quickly made up for the princess's mistake? Now, facing Nanny Qiu, Princess Rongjia felt as though her throat were blocked, unable to utter a single word for a long while. Old Madame Song, however, saw things clearly. Regardless of whether Cui Lingrong's subsequent remedy had involved any scheming against Princess Rongjia, the root cause of today's incident lay in Princess Rongjia skimping on the money for the crabs. Even whole mid-grade crabs would have caused the household to be talked about. This time, even Song Shulan didn't speak up to defend Princess Rongjia. "No, I—" Princess Rongjia looked at Song Shulan. His opinion mattered most to her, but he remained silent, and her heart was in turmoil. It wasn't as if she had deliberately chosen mid-grade crabs. Wasn't it because the household coffers were insufficient? Old Madame knew the family was short on money, yet she still insisted on hosting the autumn banquet. From purchasing the ingredients to hiring outside help, everything today cost money. Princess Rongjia had already contributed some of her own silver. If she had bought all top-grade crabs, she would have had to spend several hundred taels more. She wasn't willing to part with that money. Thinking that some people couldn't tell the difference between top-grade and mid-grade anyway, she had instructed them to do it this way. Old Madame Song didn't want to hear Princess Rongjia's excuses. She deeply regretted not having put Cui Lingrong in charge of household affairs earlier. The thought of today's mess was simply humiliating. "Nanny Qiu." "This old servant is here." "Go with the princess to retrieve the account book keys. From tomorrow onward, Cui will manage the household." Old Madame Song said directly. Nanny Qiu's face showed reluctance. "Old Madame, the physician just took the eldest young mistress's pulse and said she won't recover anytime soon. The eldest young mistress asked this old servant to pass along a message—everyone makes mistakes, and she believes the princess will learn from this experience. During the eldest young mistress's convalescence, perhaps the second young mistress could assist the princess in managing the household together. After all, the princess isn't familiar with the household's affairs, and the second young mistress could offer some guidance." Madame Jiang, suddenly singled out, trembled involuntarily. Guide Princess Rongjia? The princess was already in a foul mood—was Cui Lingrong trying to get her killed?