Chapter 242

Chapter 242: Eliciting Information Cui Lingrong nodded in agreement. Upon learning that County Princess Rongjia might have killed Elder Master Du, Cui Lingrong formed an idea and immediately sent a formal invitation to Mrs. He, arranging to meet at Fan Lou. On the appointed day, Mrs. He brought Du Yinyin along, and Cui Lingrong again did not bring Yu-jie. However, Cui Lingrong did invite You Shuyi. Yuan Mingzhu had also been invited, but her daughter was feeling unwell, so she did not come out. Seeing Cui Lingrong bring her close friends along, Mrs. He thought that Cui Lingrong regarded her as one of their own, and felt somewhat pleased with herself. But Mrs. He still remembered the matter of Du Cheng and first apologized to Cui Lingrong. "Cheng-ge has told us everything. We truly are sorry—he was forced into it. Zhao Chengxu threatened him; he had no choice." Cui Lingrong raised an eyebrow but made no response. Mrs. He continued, "Speaking of which, Cheng-ge isn't really a member of the Du family after all. Some matters, he doesn't share the same heart as the Dus." "I've always been curious—why don't you keep Du Cheng by your side?" You Shuyi asked. Mrs. He glanced at You Shuyi, then looked at Cui Lingrong, and sighed. "This was all the old master's decision. He said our Du family is not what it used to be, and we needed someone formidable to help advance Cheng-ge. After much deliberation, the only option was to have Cheng-ge rely on County Princess Rongjia." "But doesn't County Princess Rongjia dislike Du Cheng?" You Shuyi was serving as Cui Lingrong's mouthpiece today. "Ah, he wasn't born from her womb after all—how could she truly like him?" Just as Mrs. He finished speaking, Cui Lingrong smoothed things over with a few words, and they cheerfully resumed chatting about matters in Bianjing. Du Yinyin, with her childlike nature, leaned against the window and looked outside, pleading with her mother to take her out to play. Mrs. He was busy at the moment, but You Shuyi said she also wanted to go downstairs for a stroll, so she took Du Yinyin downstairs. "This dear sister of mine has wanted a daughter her whole life, but fate never granted her one." Cui Lingrong said with a smile to Mrs. He. "I heard that Elder Master Du once had a child?" "What does an unborn child count for? It was just a concubine's hidden residence pregnancy..." Realizing she had let something slip, Mrs. He lowered her voice instead. "When County Princess Rongjia learned the concubine was pregnant, she brought people and forced her to drink the abortive medicine—two lives lost in one stroke. Ruthless, she is." "And your Du family said nothing about that?" Cui Lingrong asked. "How would we dare say anything? At that time, my father-in-law had already retired from office, and the men of the family were useless. We still had to rely on the Rong Prince Mansion for advancement. We thought she was just a concubine, so we'd give some silver and be done with it." Mrs. He shook her head, saying they hadn't pursued the matter. Cui Lingrong pressed on. "By all rights, County Princess Rongjia cannot bear children—why not arrange a few concubines for Elder Master Du? Could it be that Elder Master Du's health is also poor?" "In the early years, we only thought their time for children hadn't come yet. Later, even when we grew suspicious, how would we dare let County Princess Rongjia see a physician?" Mrs. He grew more animated as she spoke. "Later, my husband's elder brother's health truly did decline—he lay in bed every day and couldn't get up. We never knew what was wrong. Even though Old Madame arranged two concubines for him, none of them bore children." Pausing, Mrs. He raised an eyebrow. "But I think it most likely had something to do with County Princess Rongjia. She's a petty person—she won't allow herself to bear children, and she won't let others bear them either, leaving my husband's elder brother without descendants. Speaking of which, I'm also curious—how is it that when it comes to Marquis Song, County Princess Rongjia permits him to take concubines?" "Indeed, who would have thought? She's been extremely generous, sending one concubine after another into the Marquis's residence." Cui Lingrong gave a cold snort. "I suspect someone advised her—since she can't bear children herself, she'd let the concubines bear them, planning to remove the mother to keep the child. Unfortunately, those concubines were all useless." "So she gave up on that?" Mrs. He had heard that County Princess Rongjia hadn't arranged any new concubines for Song Shulan in a long time, and didn't know the reason. Cui Lingrong said it was possible. "She never tells me anything about what goes on in Wutong Courtyard. If she truly made arrangements, she'd hide them from me, afraid I might scheme against her. Speaking of which, your Du family is truly tolerant. Several times before, I confronted County Princess Rongjia head-on for the sake of my children. Only once—the time with Jin-ge—I couldn't get any leverage." "What happened?" Cui Lingrong recounted the incident of Jin-ge being poisoned. "If I'd had evidence, I would have taken it straight to The Emperor. I'm certain it was County Princess Rongjia who did it. During those days, no physician could find anything wrong, but Jin-ge simply didn't recover—he was listless, lying in bed all day and unable to get up. Don't you find that strange?" As she said this, Cui Lingrong kept her eyes fixed on Mrs. He. Seeing Mrs. He's expression freeze, unable to speak for a long moment, Cui Lingrong knew what she needed to know. "H-How... how could this be?" Mrs. He asked stiffly. "I don't know either. Later, the abbot of Fahua Temple said it was a very rare poison." Cui Lingrong said. "In the Marquis's residence, only County Princess Rongjia would harm my child, and only she would have the means to obtain such a rare poison. Don't you think so?" Mrs. He nodded instinctively. "But... but..." She couldn't find the words. Just then, You Shuyi returned with Du Yinyin, diverting Mrs. He's attention. She quickly turned to ask her daughter what she had been up to. Du Yinyin smiled and said she had gone to a nearby pastry shop. The maidservant behind her carried two large bundles of pastries, all bought for her by You Shuyi. The group sat for a while longer, and then Cui Lingrong and You Shuyi left together. When You Shuyi learned that Mrs. He had frozen up, she clicked her tongue and said, "This Du family is truly spineless." "Indeed, they are spineless, but the Rong Prince Mansion must have promised the Du family substantial benefits." Cui Lingrong narrowed her eyes. "Who would have thought that County Princess Rongjia would be so bold as to murder her own husband?" Such a thing was something Cui Lingrong wouldn't have dared to imagine before. Otherwise... Well, never mind. She still had three children, so that wasn't a possibility. "But this has given you an opportunity. If you can pry open one person's mouth, you can pry open a second. Fortunately, your younger brother is capable now and can help you." Just as You Shuyi finished speaking, they heard Cui Zeyu talking outside. Cui Zeyu had spotted the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion's carriage and deliberately chased after them. "Sister You is in the carriage too. If you're not in a hurry to return, why not come with me to a restaurant? There's a newly opened place that serves Suzhou cuisine. Perhaps you'd enjoy it?" You Shuyi smiled and looked at Cui Lingrong. "I'm fine with it. After all, I only have Feng-ge'er at home. I'll defer to your Sister Cui." Cui Lingrong rarely went out with You Shuyi, so she agreed. The three of them went to the restaurant together. With no outsiders present, You Shuyi spoke more freely. "My mother wrote to me again, asking whether I want to remarry. She said I'm still young and shouldn't imitate those great households south of the Yangtze. We northern women don't stand on such ceremony." "What do you think?" Cui Lingrong asked. "When I first became a widow, I truly wasn't used to being alone. The long nights stretched on, and I had no one to share my innermost thoughts with—it was inevitably lonely. But as time passed, I discovered the freedom of being on my own." You Shuyi analyzed the benefits of solitude. "My in-laws are lenient and kind. I don't have to live my life reading other people's expressions, and I don't have to worry about my husband's heart changing—because he's already dead. If I remarried, I'd have to wait on a husband again, and he'd want me to bear more children. Think about it—would you be willing to live through that all over again?" Cui Lingrong shook her head. "When you put it that way, you do make a good point." "A very good point." You Shuyi suggested, "Let me tell you—once your Song Shulan dies, that's when the good days begin for you. Your children will be filial, you'll be the highest authority in the marquis mansion, and you can do whatever you please." Cui Lingrong laughed. "What if Song Shulan lives to be a hundred?" "Pah, pah, pah! Don't say such inauspicious things!" You Shuyi said, then turned to look at Cui Zeyu. "Zeyu, don't you agree?"