Chapter 240

Chapter 240: Proposal of Marriage Du Shinan enunciated the words "murderer" with particular force. What was adultery, after all? Even if it were made a fuss over, it was merely a matter of romantic scandal. With the Rong Prince Mansion behind her, County Princess Rongjia could still live well. But murder was different—especially the murder of County Princess Rongjia's former husband. It was precisely on this point that the Du family had been able to keep a hold over County Princess Rongjia all along. When County Princess Rongjia turned her head, the murderous intent in her eyes could not be concealed. "Du Shinan, this matter has already been settled between me and your Du family. What do you mean now—do you intend to threaten me with this for the rest of my life?" "The County Mistress worries too much. Our Du family is far from what it once was; how would we dare oppose you and the Rong Prince Mansion? I merely ask that you look after us a little. Once the Du family regains its former glory, we will repay you in kind." Du Shinan put on a smiling face. "Or is it that the County Mistress is stirred to murderous thoughts again, and wants my life?" County Princess Rongjia did indeed want Du Shinan dead, but she knew that once Du Shinan died at her hands or the Rong Prince Mansion's, the Du family would fight to the death with her. She had calculated too little when she killed Du Shibei, leaving behind human witnesses and material evidence for the Du family. "Fine, I'll go find Du Cheng for you!" County Princess Rongjia gritted her teeth, then strode away. Wang Hechun's Wife followed behind, feeling as if her head might fall off at any moment. In the past, she might have been curious about County Princess Rongjia's affairs, but her mother-in-law had warned her that the less she knew, the better. And now, she had even come to know something like County Princess Rongjia having killed her husband. Wang Hechun's Wife's mind was in a daze, and she accidentally bumped into County Princess Rongjia, who had stopped. Startled, her heart nearly leaped out of her chest. "County Mistress, this... this servant..." "Best not to say a word of today's conversation to anyone, or you know what the consequences will be." County Princess Rongjia looked at the bowing Wang Hechun's Wife. "But since you already know, from now on you shall be the foremost person by my side. Mama Wang, can I trust you?" "Yes, absolutely. From now on, this servant will be your trusted confidante!" Wang Hechun's Wife said tremblingly. "Come, let's go see where Du Cheng has gone." County Princess Rongjia said. "He'd best have thought himself into despair and died, so he doesn't cause me any more trouble!" Reality disappointed her. Du Cheng was not dead, nor had he gone to stay at an inn. County Princess Rongjia found Du Cheng in an alley near the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion. He was curled up at the edge of the alley, looking small and helpless. Seeing County Princess Rongjia arrive, he gazed at her with pleading eyes. "County Mistress, you..." "Less nonsense. Pack your things and come with me to the Du family." The sight of Du Cheng made County Princess Rongjia's anger flare. "Are you a dead man? Why didn't you go to the Du family yourself?" "Second Uncle said I shouldn't go back," Du Cheng said in a small voice. When County Princess Rongjia delivered Du Cheng to the Du family, Du Shinan indeed made it clear that she should find another place for Du Cheng to stay. "Du Shinan, are you determined to defy me?" County Princess Rongjia was speechless. Du Shinan looked at County Princess Rongjia without speaking. Before he set out, the old master had specifically instructed that no matter what he did, there was only one requirement: Du Cheng must stay by County Princess Rongjia's side. Helpless, County Princess Rongjia couldn't be bothered to argue with Du Shinan, so she took Du Cheng to the Rong Prince Mansion. When she arrived at the Rong Prince Mansion and saw her mother, she realized she was still under house arrest. Before she could speak, her mother had already taken her to the palace to offer apologies to the Emperor. And Du Cheng was left standing there, ignored. Someone did pour him tea, but no one paid him any attention—until Madam Qian came over and demanded angrily, "So you're Du Cheng?" Du Cheng had just nodded when Madam Qian had people pin him down in the courtyard and, without any explanation, administered punishment on him. "Whether you did it deliberately or accidentally, you caused Ger Xu to fall into the manure pit—that is your fault. Du Cheng, your Du family doesn't know what's good for them. You need to understand who you are. The lesson I give you today, you'd best remember for the rest of your life!" Madam Qian had been looking for an opportunity to vent her anger on Du Cheng, and since Du Cheng had delivered himself to her door, she had people strip off Du Cheng's trousers and beat him with a board in public. When Princess Consort Rong returned and heard about the half-dead Du Cheng, learning that Madam Qian had ordered the beating, she said nothing more about it. She simply had people carry Du Cheng away and make sure he didn't die. County Princess Rongjia, meanwhile, returned to the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion. She hesitated for a long time outside Song Shulan's door before knocking and speaking softly, "Master Song, are you in there?" She pushed the door open and saw Song Shulan holding a book. County Princess Rongjia took the initiative to massage Song Shulan's shoulders. "Master Song, Du Cheng has already been sent away by me. Won't you stop being angry?" Song Shulan said nothing. "I know you're angry because you care about me. But I truly had no feelings for Du Shibei. I regret what happened back then more than I can say. If we hadn't had so many misunderstandings, how could we have come to this?" County Princess Rongjia lowered her posture. "I beg you, don't be angry with me anymore, alright?" Song Shulan glanced at County Princess Rongjia. "The County Mistress sent Du Cheng to the Rong Prince Mansion? You want the people of the Rong Prince Mansion to look after Du Cheng?" This matter had been told to him by Cui Lingrong. Originally, once Du Cheng was driven away and County Princess Rongjia came to apologize, the matter would have been settled. But Song Shulan couldn't understand why County Princess Rongjia always protected Du Cheng. County Princess Rongjia's expression stiffened slightly. "Oh dear, I sent him to the Du family, but Du Shinan didn't want him. I didn't know how to handle it, so I had to seek my mother's help. You know I'm not that clever—I can't manage these things on my own." Song Shulan looked at County Princess Rongjia with a mixture of doubt and suspicion. County Princess Rongjia took the initiative to sit in Song Shulan's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him again and again. In the past, Song Shulan would have already embraced County Princess Rongjia and started undressing her. But now, Song Shulan was physically incapable, and instead found himself able to treat County Princess Rongjia's attempts to please him with more composure. He studied County Princess Rongjia for a moment, then relaxed into a smile. "Fine, let's drop the matter. Just don't let the Du family come to our door anymore. I don't like it." Song Shulan knew when to stop pressing his advantage—if the tension between them dragged on any longer, it would be difficult for him to maintain good relations with the Rong Prince Mansion. Seeing that Song Shulan was offering her a way out, County Princess Rongjia grew even more eager to please him, and the two became affectionate with each other once more. But Song Shulan could no longer perform as a man—the arrow was drawn but couldn't be released—and County Princess Rongjia was left feeling deeply frustrated. When she returned to the Wutong Courtyard, County Princess Rongjia drank a pot of wine, yet the restlessness and agitation in her heart still wouldn't dissipate. On the other side, when Cui Lingrong learned that County Princess Rongjia had sent Du Cheng to the Rong Prince Mansion, she was indeed curious about what reason County Princess Rongjia could have for concerning herself with Du Cheng. But this matter would take time to unravel. Before that, a matchmaker came to the door, proposing a marriage for Yu-jie. Nanny Qiu went to take a look and reported that Lou Wanxian had come on behalf of the Wu Prince Mansion to propose a match. "The Wu Prince Mansion?" Cui Lingrong found it strange. "The Marquis Mansion and the Wu Prince Mansion have never had dealings with each other. Why so sudden?" Moreover, as far as she knew, the Wu Prince Mansion had no male members of marriageable age. Still, since Lou Wanxian had come to call, Cui Lingrong needed to go receive her and hear who exactly Lou Wanxian was proposing a match for. She had met Lou Wanxian a few times before, and since they both disliked County Princess Rongjia, Cui Lingrong thought that Lou Wanxian would likely be easier to talk to.