Chapter 238

Chapter 238: Sow Discord Zhao Chengxu's page boy shouted for quite a while, but no one came to help, because the nearby paths had been blocked off by their own people. In the end, it was the page boy who climbed up first and, with great effort, pulled Zhao Chengxu up by force. By then, Zhao Chengxu had already fainted from the stench. When the others arrived and saw the mess that was Zhao Chengxu, not a single person dared to approach. It was the other servants of Rong Prince Mansion who helped strip Zhao Chengxu of his clothes and carried him to a nearby room. When the physician arrived, he nearly vomited. Enduring the smell, he forced down an emetic, and only then did Zhao Chengxu wake up and vomit violently. Lady Wu stood outside the room, listening to Cui Lingrong's words, her face burning with shame. "Regarding today's affair, since Xu ger has already ended up like this, I won't pursue the matter further. I ask that you, Young Madam, return and explain clearly to the Prince and Princess—it was not I who schemed against anyone; Xu ger fell in on his own." Upon learning that Zhao Chengxu had fallen into the cesspit, Cui Lingrong had immediately seized Zhao Chengxu's page boy. Under joint interrogation with Lady Wu, the boy finally confessed that it had been done on Zhao Chengxu's orders. However, those page boys did not mention Du Cheng. Perhaps because Du Cheng had never shown his face, they didn't know the specifics. And at this moment, Zhao Chengxu was still groggy and had no energy to speak, so the whole matter was attributed entirely to Zhao Chengxu. Many people had witnessed the scene. The guests didn't know the details, and to the outside world, it was only said that Zhao Chengxu had drunk too much wine and fallen in. "That boy is arrogant on a normal day. It's good that he's suffered a bit of hardship today." Lady Wu said indignantly. "I didn't want to bring him along in the first place; he insisted on following. Don't worry, I'll make this clear. Once he sobers up a bit, I'll take him back." "Thank you, Young Madam." Cui Lingrong glanced toward the door. Upon learning that Zhao Chengxu was out of danger, she led her people back to the front courtyard. This was merely a minor incident. Cui Lingrong continued to preside over her daughter's Ji-pin ceremony. The front courtyard was lively and bustling. In the side room, Zhao Chengxu had been forced to drink two bowls of coptis medicine and had been soaked in a bath bucket for quite some time. By the time County Princess Rongjia arrived, Zhao Chengxu was slumped over a chair, completely drained of strength. "Did you really fall in on your own?" County Princess Rongjia was mortified. Whenever anyone asked her how Zhao Chengxu was doing, her cheeks would burn with embarrassment. "No, Auntie, someone... someone pushed me." Zhao Chengxu said weakly, then raised his head with a vicious glare. "It must be someone from Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion. They knew I was going to scheme against Song Mingxuan, so they turned the tables and retaliated against me!" "You idiot! Scheming against Song Mingxuan at Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion is practically handing them a weapon against you. Do you think Cui Lingrong is someone who eats vegetables for nothing? Even if you had succeeded, Cui Lingrong would have found out!" County Princess Rongjia raised her hand to strike her nephew, but then thought of how he'd just been pulled from a cesspit and withdrew her hand. Too disgusting! She felt like Zhao Chengxu still smelled. "So what if they found out? It's not like Lady Cui could hit me." Zhao Chengxu said, reminding her that he was a grandson of Rong Prince Mansion. "This is infuriating—who pushed me? Auntie, you have to seek justice for me! Even if I did plan to scheme against Song Mingxuan, I didn't succeed, and the fact that I was pushed in is real. I can't just suffer for nothing, can I?" County Princess Rongjia was troubled. "Song Mingxuan isn't just Cui Lingrong's precious son—he's also the apple of your uncle-in-law's and Old Madame Song's eye. If this blows up, Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion won't let it be brushed aside." Lady Wu, who had remained silent until now, let out a cold snort. "Xu ger, do you still not see where you went wrong?" "I... what did I do wrong?" Zhao Chengxu refused to accept it. "Song Mingxuan is always overshadowing me. I wanted to teach him a lesson—what's wrong with that?" "If you truly want to vent your frustration, you should study hard and defeat Song Mingxuan with real ability, not use these underhanded tricks that can't stand the light of day." Lady Wu had always looked down on the second branch's way of doing things, and now she was even more disgusted. "But Xu ger, you're not familiar with Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion. How did you know which paths led to the latrine and where to station people?" Lady Wu had managed a household for many years, and it didn't take her long to spot the inconsistency. Moreover, Zhao Chengxu had a bit of petty cunning, but he couldn't have come up with such filthy, despicable tactics on his own. When County Princess Rongjia heard Lady Wu's words, she finally caught on. "That's right—did someone else put you up to this?" "No one put me up to it. I dragged Du Cheng into helping me think of a plan. I figured Du Cheng is Auntie's son, so he'd definitely be on my side, and I asked him to come up with an idea." Zhao Chengxu didn't dare recall the feeling of falling into that pit; just thinking about it made him nauseous. "He said he didn't have much ability and could only help me brainstorm. I thought making Song Mingxuan look foolish at his own sister's Ji-pin ceremony would also give Auntie some satisfaction." Hearing that Du Cheng was involved, County Princess Rongjia frowned deeply. She was so angry she cursed, "If you'd actually managed to scheme against Song Mingxuan, I really would have applauded you. But you ended up trapping yourself instead—I'm too embarrassed to even show my face in public!" "County Mistress, do not speak such words," Lady Wu said in a deep voice. "What do you mean by 'truly scheming against someone'? Xu-ge was not so malicious from a young age. You let him remain muddled—today no great disaster has occurred, but if a life were truly lost, do you think the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion would let you off easily?" Lady Wu could not bear to listen any longer. She had the servants pack up, preparing to take Zhao Chengxu back to the Rong Prince Mansion. County Princess Rongjia said with displeasure, "I say, eldest sister-in-law, what are you pretending for in front of me? I know that in your heart, you also dislike me, and you're cut from the same cloth as Cui Lingrong. In truth, you can't wait to see Xu-ge and me make fools of ourselves, isn't that right?" "Unreasonable!" Lady Wu flicked her sleeves. "There is nothing more to say between you and me. You had better think carefully—keeping a scourge by your side, who knows when you might be schemed against!" "Then rest assured, I have never trusted Du Cheng, and I certainly won't be schemed against by him. If you want to see me fall on hard times, dream on—I will live well for the rest of my life!" County Princess Rongjia chased after Lady Wu, hurling abuse. Lady Wu was not one skilled in verbal sparring, and she left hastily with her maids and matrons. Before leaving, she had one of her matrons deliver a message to Cui Lingrong, telling her about Du Cheng's matter. On the other side, Yu-jie's Ji-pin ceremony had already concluded. Cui Lingrong was in the midst of toasting guests when she learned that Lady Wu was leaving. She nodded and said she understood. Today was Song Yu's big day, and many people tried to draw information from Cui Lingrong, wanting to know about Song Yu's marriage prospects. Cui Lingrong brushed them all off with vague replies. By the time the guests had all dispersed, the sky had already darkened. Cui Lingrong found Song Shulan and only then brought up the matter of Du Cheng giving Zhao Chengxu advice. "Today was Yu-jie's big day, so I did not make a fuss during the day. Fortunately, the Hereditary Princess is a reasonable person—she told me about this matter, and I feel it is necessary to discuss it with the Marquis." After Song Shulan became unable to bear children, he valued Song Mingxuan, his legitimate eldest son, all the more. Upon learning that it was Du Cheng who had given Zhao Chengxu the idea, he flew into a rage. "Are you certain what you say is true?" "If it were false, do you think the County Mistress and the people of the Rong Prince Mansion would remain silent? After all, Zhao Chengxu fell into a cesspit in the Marquis Mansion and nearly drowned. Would the Rong Prince Mansion let it go so easily?" Cui Lingrong looked at Song Shulan. "Zhao Chengxu has already received his punishment, but the matter of Du Cheng is not over." Cui Lingrong took a deep breath. "It was only out of consideration for his relationship with County Princess Rongjia that I allowed him to lodge temporarily in the Marquis Mansion. But scheming against my son—that will not do. I truly cannot understand why County Princess Rongjia values Du Cheng so highly. The second branch of the Du family has moved out separately, yet Du Cheng alone was kept behind?" Song Shulan had also been angered by this matter recently, and because of it, his relationship with County Princess Rongjia had not yet thawed. Seeing that Song Shulan remained silent, Cui Lingrong offered a guiding analysis. "After all, they are first-married husband and wife. Could it truly be that old feelings are hard to forget?" She deliberately touched upon the point that bothered Song Shulan most—no man could allow his woman to harbor another man in her heart.