Chapter 243

Chapter 243: Only Sister "Indeed, Song Shulan is not a suitable match." Cui Zeyu glanced cautiously at his sister, afraid that saying such a thing might displease her. Cui Lingrong did not continue the topic, nor did she say it was wrong. Instead, she picked up her chopsticks and took a piece of braised pork knuckle. Song Shulan truly was not a suitable match, but at this moment, what other choice did she have? When she returned to the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, Cui Lingrong retired early. The next morning, the Duke of Dingguo came calling, saying he had acquired some new tea leaves and wanted to give them to Cui Lingrong. The moment she heard this, Cui Lingrong knew the Duke of Dingguo had something to say. "I've come to ask a favor that may be presumptuous," said the Duke of Dingguo. "You know that Zeyu has followed the same path as Xie Yunting. The two of them have made many enemies. Without the support of an in-law family, I alone cannot protect him." Cui Lingrong understood. "Your Grace wants me to help Zeyu find a suitable match?" The Duke of Dingguo said yes. "He won't listen to me, but he listens to you. I believe you also wish for his well-being, don't you?" "Your Grace is right. I do wish for Zeyu's well-being. To be honest with you, I brought up the matter of marriage long ago. But for reasons I don't understand, he simply refused, to the point of nearly losing his temper with me." Cui Lingrong said she had no way either. The Duke of Dingguo knew the reason, but it was something he could not speak of. If he were to expose his son's feelings for Lady Cui, his son would never speak to him again for the rest of his life. "No matter how much he loses his temper with you, he will still acknowledge you as his sister. So I still must trouble you—please arrange a few candidates for him." The Duke of Dingguo spoke in a pleading tone. He took a deep breath and said earnestly, "Perhaps because he grew up lacking a mother's care, he might prefer someone a bit older?" "How do you know that?" Cui Lingrong had never noticed such a thing. "I was just speaking offhandedly." The Duke of Dingguo dared not say more. Cui Lingrong said she would look into it. After the Duke of Dingguo left, she was still pondering his "offhanded" remark. Was it truly offhanded? If it wasn't offhanded, why would the Duke of Dingguo say such a thing? Cui Lingrong thought about this matter for a long time. But before she could figure it out, trouble arose in the Du family's second branch. Du Shinan was drinking with someone when he got into an argument with two beggars on the street. He had two teeth knocked out and one rib broken. The man drinking with Du Shinan was also seriously injured. The two beggars were quickly arrested. The prefectural office said it was just an ordinary brawl, but the Du family refused to let it go and insisted the prefectural office continue investigating. Pressure from the Du family alone wouldn't accomplish much, but with Cui Zeyu stepping in, the matter wouldn't be resolved so quickly. When Cui Lingrong went to the Du residence, Mrs. He choked up and said, "They say it was a brawl with beggars—where did these beggars come from, and how dare they be so bold?" "I find it hard to believe as well. Tell me, under the emperor's very feet, public security is the best. Could it be that someone with ill intentions orchestrated this deliberately?" Cui Lingrong ventured. "I want to know too—who could be so malicious!" The more Mrs. He spoke, the angrier she became. In truth, both she and her husband suspected the Rong Prince Mansion, but they couldn't find any evidence linking them. "Thankfully, we have Lord Cui. Thank you, sister, for your help." "It's the least I could do." As Cui Lingrong spoke, a servant came to announce that Cui Zeyu had brought men to ask questions. Mrs. He wiped her tears and hurried out to receive him. When Cui Zeyu saw his sister, he wanted to go to her immediately, but upon hearing Mrs. He's voice, he withdrew his steps. Cui Zeyu went into Du Shinan's room and asked about what happened that night. Although Du Shinan was drunk and couldn't remember most things, he remembered one thing clearly: "I said I was County Princess Rongjia's brother-in-law, and they beat me even harder. Lord Cui, you need to investigate County Princess Rongjia and the Rong Prince Mansion—they're definitely connected to this!" Cui Zeyu reminded him, "Second Master Du, have you forgotten that you're staying in Princess Consort Rong's residence?" There were many servants of the Rong Prince Mansion in the residence, and Du Shinan had been shouting loudly, as if afraid others wouldn't hear. "My apologies, I'm too angry." Du Shinan winced in pain at the slightest movement and lowered his voice. "Since I came to Bianjing, I haven't offended anyone—only the Rong Prince Mansion. They've held a grudge against my Du family all along!" "Why would they hold a grudge? Weren't you in-laws before? I recall that you had County Princess Rongjia raise Du Cheng." Cui Zeyu's face was expressionless, looking every bit the diligent official at work. Du Shinan said, "It's precisely because we insisted on leaving Cheng ger with County Princess Rongjia that she became dissatisfied. She thinks Cheng ger is a burden, not her own flesh and blood, so she holds a grudge against us!" "Then why did you leave Du Cheng with County Princess Rongjia?" Cui Zeyu asked. Du Shinan repeated what he had told Cui Lingrong before. "If it weren't for the years of brother-and-sister-in-law affection, we wouldn't have had the nerve to shamelessly insist that County Princess Rongjia take care of Cheng ger." Du Shinan had grown wary, and Cui Zeyu could no longer extract anything useful from him. He then went to the Rong Prince Mansion. He rode in the same carriage as his sister. On the way, Cui Lingrong said she also felt it bore the hallmarks of the Rong Prince Mansion. "I think so too. Otherwise, it's unlikely that Du Shinan and his wife would have offended anyone, given how they've been trying to please everyone since arriving in Bianjing," Cui Zeyu said. "But then again, this matter isn't easy to pursue. Even if we found solid evidence, the Rong Prince Mansion could just push someone forward to take the blame. What matters most is still County Princess Rongjia's case of killing her husband." Cui Lingrong nodded in agreement, then turned the conversation to Cui Zeyu's marriage prospects. "Zeyu, you're of age now. A single tree cannot make a forest—if you had a strong marriage alliance, it would surely give you more support." "Do you truly want to see me married with children, Sister?" Cui Zeyu's eyes held a hint of desolation. If one looked closely, they would notice the hurt within. Cui Lingrong didn't think much of it and nodded. "Don't you want to start a family and have children around your knees?" "I've never said I need children, nor have I ever wanted to marry," Cui Zeyu said, somewhat agitated. The carriage was small, and as Cui Zeyu leaned forward while speaking, only a single person's distance remained between them. Cui Lingrong noticed the veins standing out on her brother's neck and hesitated. "But this is what everyone is expected to do." "Is it really?" Cui Zeyu nearly ground his teeth. "Sister, didn't you once mention that when you were young, you had a friend who didn't want to marry, so her family built a Daoist temple for her to cultivate in?" Seeing that his sister was about to speak, Cui Zeyu quickly continued, "And Elder Yuan Shi—she walked a path very different from others. Anyone else would have stayed in the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, but she wasn't afraid of gossip. She turned around and left, remarrying someone else!" The carriage came to a stop, and Cui Lingrong found herself at a loss for words. She had been raised with the most traditional, rule-abiding education. Even though she could agree with the choices of Elder Yuan Shi and others, she sometimes unconsciously fell back into conventional thinking. Faced with her brother's questioning, Cui Lingrong truly couldn't find the words. At this moment, she didn't even support her own previous views. Perhaps she was too rigid and needed to make some changes. Cui Zeyu took a deep breath, his long, curved lashes trembling as they lowered. "I don't need anyone else to be my family. Having you and Xuan-ge is enough for me." From outside the carriage came the gatekeeper of the Rong Prince Mansion asking who had arrived. Cui Zeyu stepped down first, not forgetting to instruct the coachman to see his sister safely back to the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion.