Chapter 230

Chapter 230: A Mother's Love The Duke of Dingguo gave a light cough, and only then did those in the room look toward the door. Cui Zeyu, however, showed no sign of panic, turning around unhurriedly. Cui Lingrong, on the other hand, felt an inexplicable awkwardness and rose to offer her greetings. "The Duke is well." "Upon learning of your arrival, I came to check in. Is something the matter? Perhaps you might tell me—who knows, I may be able to help." The Duke of Dingguo's words carried a pointed meaning. Cui Zeyu spoke first to decline. "Just a trivial matter." "That's fine then. Do continue." The Duke of Dingguo said he would go attend to his affairs. It was not until after Cui Lingrong had left that the Duke of Dingguo went to find his son. In the study, Cui Zeyu was reading a letter in his hands, not even lifting his head. "If you have something to say, say it directly. I have matters to attend to and no time for idle chatter." They were father and son, yet there had never been a moment of closeness between them. An unbridgeable chasm lay between the two, preventing any intimacy. The Duke of Dingguo asked, "Why do you not take a wife?" Cui Zeyu furrowed his brow. "When that day comes, I will marry." "Will that day ever come?" The Duke of Dingguo narrowed his eyes and suddenly let out a chuckle. "Zeyu, we are both men. How is it I never noticed before—your feelings toward Lady Cui are quite... different." Hearing this, Cui Zeyu's body suddenly stiffened. "What nonsense are you speaking?" "You were raised by Lady Cui. Does she know you harbor such unusual feelings for her?" Seeing his son look up, the Duke of Dingguo pressed on. "There's no need to deny it. The way you looked at Lady Cui today—I could tell. You are in love with Lady Cui." —You are in love with Lady Cui. A single sentence laid bare the secret Cui Zeyu had kept for so many years. After all, they were father and son. What others could not perceive, the Duke of Dingguo could discern. Cui Zeyu glared at the Duke of Dingguo. A thought of silencing him forever flashed through his mind—no third person could ever know. Otherwise, if his sister found out, how would she look at him? "If Lady Cui knew you harbored such feelings, how do you think she would see you?" The Duke of Dingguo had come today precisely to make his son face reality. "She is already married. And even if she were to obtain a Mutual Divorce, do you think she would marry you? Everyone in Bianjing knows she is your sister. You may not care what others say, but can she afford to?" A single person's spit could drown a man. Let alone remarrying after a Mutual Divorce—the very act of a Mutual Divorce alone would easily invite gossip throughout Bianjing. The Duke of Dingguo was merely stating facts. He wanted his son to wake up and see reason, but instead it provoked Cui Zeyu's fury. "My affairs with my sister are none of your business, outsider!" Cui Zeyu rose abruptly, pointing at the door. "Get out!" "Leaving is easy for me, but Zeyu, such feelings of yours will only bring disaster upon you both. I know Lady Cui is beautiful and gentle, and you grew up lacking a mother's love. I can understand why you would develop feelings for her. But you must let go of this affection, or the future for both of you will be exceedingly difficult. Do you know that if a woman bears the stigma of being unchaste and impure, it is not only herself—even her natal family and her daughter will be spat upon by all!" The Duke of Dingguo spoke each word deliberately, looking at his son. The air grew thick and still. But Cui Zeyu was stubborn to a terrifying degree. "Don't you dare liken me to someone as despicable as yourself. Whatever my feelings toward my sister may be, as long as she has a husband, she will forever be my sister. I will never do anything to cross that line!" The Duke of Dingguo asked incredulously, "Then you will never marry in this lifetime? You won't have a family of your own?" Cui Zeyu repeated the same words, telling the Duke of Dingguo to get out at once. The Duke of Dingguo had not expected his son to possess such a stubborn side. With no other recourse, he could only try to find a way through Cui Lingrong instead. On the other side, when Cui Lingrong returned to the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, the sky had grown dim. She went back to Qiushuang Zhai, bathed and freshened up, then retired to rest. Days passed one after another. Song Shulan had been very busy lately, sometimes simply staying overnight at the government office. Cui Lingrong did not mind either way. Whether Song Shulan came home or not, she paid it no heed. Yu-jie was about to reach Ji-pin, and as her mother, Cui Lingrong had already sent out formal invitations to the guests. She also went to Old Madame Song to ask whether there were any additional guests to include. Old Madame Song glanced at the list, and seeing that both the Su family and her own daughter were included, she said there were none. "But for such an important occasion, the most distinguished person should be invited to perform the Ji-pin ceremony for Yu-jie. Why have you chosen Little Yuan-shi?" It was not that Old Madame Song looked down on Yuan Mingzhu, but rather that Yuan Mingzhu's husband was too ordinary. "Sister Yuan is the most blessed. I hope Yu-jie can be like her—to have sons and daughters for a lifetime, and to be cherished by her husband." Cui Lingrong said. "You are simply too shortsighted. In my view, it would be better to change to someone else. Little Yuan-shi's status is not high enough, nor is she the closest relation. You have always been the most meticulous, and you have only this one daughter—why are you not putting more thought into this?" Old Madame Song's tone carried reproach. "In my opinion, why not invite Princess Consort Rong to perform the Ji-pin ceremony for Yu-jie? To receive such an honor, perhaps Yu-jie may one day be just as distinguished." In Old Madame Song's view, her granddaughter was both beautiful and talented, and now that her son was doing well, Lady Cui's family also had some advantages—she could aim higher for Yu-jie. Cui Lingrong, however, refused outright. "Old Madame, please don't bring up the Rong Prince Mansion again. Let me make myself clear once more today: my children are mine, and I will not have them lumped together with County Princess Rongjia or the Rong Prince Mansion. If Old Madame insists on forcing this match, I don't mind letting all of Bianjing know that I and County Princess Rongjia do not get along." An Equal Wife being at odds with the original wife was nothing major, but it could certainly become fodder for idle gossip. Old Madame Song valued face above all else, and with Cui Lingrong refusing to bend to the Song family's wishes, her face darkened immediately. "Fine, I won't bring up the Ji-pin ceremony anymore, but Yu-jie's marriage—you cannot decide that on your own." Old Madame Song didn't want to argue further with Cui Lingrong and said directly, "If you won't let Yu-jie marry up, then I'll take her out to socialize myself. My granddaughter will never marry just anyone. Don't think I don't know—you've been meeting with that young master of the Luo family quite frequently lately!" If it were the Zhuang family, Old Madame Song might have considered it—after all, the Zhuangs were on the rise, though their foundation was a bit shallow—but the Luo family was absolutely out of the question. At that point, Cui Lingrong said, "Old Madame, there's no need to worry yourself so much. I am Yu-jie's mother, and I would never do her harm. Perhaps you should pay more attention to County Princess Rongjia instead. I heard from Mrs. He that County Princess Rongjia was not exactly well-behaved while she was at the Du family." Pausing, Cui Lingrong emphasized deliberately, "Have you forgotten how County Princess Rongjia accompanied Madam Qin to find that actor before? The Marquis hasn't come home day or night lately—let's hope nothing scandalous comes of it!" Having said her piece, Cui Lingrong left with her attendants. Old Madame Song was stunned for a long moment. After quite a while, she asked Mama Xu, "What does Cui mean by that?" Mama Xu dared not speculate. "This old servant wouldn't know." "Is she saying County Princess Rongjia is stepping out on her husband?" Old Madame Song frowned deeply. "Surely not—the County Princess is under house arrest and hasn't even left the Marquis's residence," Mama Xu said. But Old Madame Song felt something was very wrong. "Cui is not one to speak carelessly. For her to say such a thing, she must have heard something. That County Princess Rongjia—if it weren't for her title, I would never have approved of her. Send someone to the Du family's old residence and have them thoroughly investigate what kind of reputation County Princess Rongjia had while she was with the Du family!" Seeing how resolute Old Madame was, Mama Xu had no choice but to nod in agreement. In the meantime, County Princess Rongjia was indeed bored out of her mind. She couldn't leave the residence, and Song Shulan rarely came home. In the past, Madame Jiang would come to chat with her, but now Madame Jiang was wholly devoted to her child. As for the third branch of the family, she looked down on them anyway. Life was too dull, so she thought of inviting people over to the Marquis's residence for entertainment. She sent invitations to her natal family and even paid out of her own pocket to hire a theater troupe. Old Madame Song was very sensitive to this—the moment she heard the words "theater troupe," she vetoed it immediately. "The Emperor ordered her to reflect on her mistakes under house arrest, not to enjoy herself in the residence. If word of this gets out, what will the Emperor think of the Marquis's household?" When County Princess Rongjia learned that it was Old Madame who had objected, she shut herself in her room and cursed, "That old hag—she ate my food and used my money before, and now I just want a little entertainment and she won't allow it?" Wang Hechun's Wife found it strange. "Old Madame used to love putting on a show. Why doesn't she now? Could someone have said something to her?" "Cui Lingrong—it must be her!" County Princess Rongjia gnashed her teeth at the mere mention of Cui Lingrong. But before she could say more, a maidservant came knocking, saying that Cheng-ge had arrived to pay his respects. Du Cheng rested on the first and fifteenth of each month. He would wake up early and come to pay his respects to County Princess Rongjia, observing all the proper formalities—he truly did treat County Princess Rongjia as his mother.