Chapter 255

Chapter 255: Absurdity When Nanny Qiu entered, Zhao Zhongzhi twitched twice. "Eldest Young Madam." Nanny Qiu hurriedly pulled her mistress and Qiu Yue inside, dressed Caiyue properly, then had people come in to examine Zhao Zhongzhi's condition. Zhao Zhongzhi wasn't dead. When he was lifted up, he swayed twice, then woke with a start, roaring furiously, "You stinking bitch! I was doing you a favor by raising you up, and you dare to bite the hand that feeds you!" The moment he finished speaking, Cui Zeyu had someone remove his sock and stuff it into Zhao Zhongzhi's mouth. Only Cui Lingrong and her three servants remained in the room. Caiyue had recovered her senses, clenching her teeth. "I want him dead!" "Caiyue, whether you want to file charges against him or make a scene at the Rong Prince Mansion, I support you either way." Cui Lingrong looked at Caiyue. "But you must not lose your head. You did nothing wrong—the one at fault is that beast Zhao Zhongzhi. Do you understand?" "Yes, I'm going to report him!" Caiyue was utterly resolute. Nanny Qiu said, "If you report him to the prefect of the capital, your reputation will be ruined. In matters like this, the world is especially unfair to women. They don't look at who was right or wrong, nor do they consider whether Zhao Zhongzhi actually got what he wanted—they'll only say you were defiled by him." "I'm not afraid, Nanny Qiu. Even if I die, I won't let him get away with this! If my reputation must go, then so be it—I never planned to marry anyway. I only ask... only ask that you all don't look down on me." Caiyue lowered her head and sobbed as she spoke. Cui Lingrong embraced Caiyue again. "That won't happen. I watched you grow up. I know exactly what kind of person you are." Caiyue hated Zhao Zhongzhi to the core. If not for Zhao Zhongzhi insisting on taking her as a concubine, she wouldn't have had to leave the Eldest Young Madam, and she wouldn't have suffered today's humiliation. And Zhao Zhongzhi—he didn't die after all. Caiyue hadn't been strong enough, and the situation had been chaotic. Still, Zhao Zhongzhi's head was ringing, and he'd lost a lot of blood. Even if he survived, there would be lasting aftereffects. The group filed a complaint at the capital prefecture. Zhao Zhongzhi was a member of the imperial clan, so the prefect was at his wit's end and didn't dare make a decision on his own. He sent people to notify the Rong Prince Mansion on one hand, and submitted a memorial to the Emperor on the other. When Prince Rong, Princess Consort Rong, and Madam Qian arrived, Madam Qian was the first to lunge forward, wailing, "Which filthy slut did this?!" On the way over, Princess Consort Rong had also heard what happened. Seeing her son beaten into a daze, she said darkly, "Cui Lingrong, the facts of this matter aren't clear yet. Was it necessary to drag this all the way to the capital prefecture?" "How is it not clear? There are both witnesses and evidence. Surely the Princess Consort isn't trying to shield her son?" Cui Lingrong stood up and faced off against Princess Consort Rong. "Who knows if it wasn't your maidservant who seduced my son and then framed him!" Princess Consort Rong said harshly. "A maidservant who can't stay properly in the mansion but runs outside showing her face—what kind of decent girl could she possibly be?" "Is this how the Princess Consort slanders others? Your son was moved by lust and did something filthy, yet you blame my people instead. Fine, fine, fine. If the capital prefect doesn't dare rule on this, then I'll file a petition directly to the Emperor!" Cui Lingrong was rarely this fierce and sharp-tongued. Princess Consort Rong's face grew even darker. "Caiyue is nothing but a maidservant. What is she? Do you think the Emperor will care if you file a petition?" Her son was a member of the imperial clan—if this matter got out, where would the clan's face go? Prince Rong also came over and said, "Lady Cui, do you truly want to oppose the Rong Prince Mansion over a maidservant? Have you considered your sons and daughters, and the future of the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion?" "Is the Prince threatening me?" Cui Lingrong looked at him. "It's not a threat—it's just that there's no need to make such a fuss." If Cui Lingrong had been alone, Prince Rong wouldn't have been so accommodating, but from start to finish, Cui Zeyu had been glaring at them with murderous intent. What Prince Rong feared was Cui Zeyu. "Lady Cui, my son is already in this state. If anything happens to him, do you think the imperial clan will treat your marquis mansion kindly?" The only sound left was Madam Qian's sobbing. Princess Consort Rong found it irritating and shot her a glare, and only then did Madam Qian shut up. Prince Rong continued, "Caiyue is nothing but a maidservant. The only reason you're making such a scene is because we are the Rong Prince Mansion—the natal family of Rongjia—and you want to seize on any fault of ours. But have you considered that if the Rong Prince Mansion suffers, can your marquis mansion fare well?" His meaning was that Cui Lingrong should consider the bigger picture. "Right now, this matter can still be kept from blowing up. Why not just let Caiyue marry into our household? We'll give her a proper status and turn this affair into a happy occasion. What do you think?" Prince Rong felt that even this offer was already more than Caiyue deserved. With her lowly status, she wouldn't even qualify to be a concubine. Cui Lingrong was so angry she laughed. Caiyue spoke up first. "Pah! Who wants to be a concubine to a beast? Even in death, I'd find Zhao Zhongzhi too filthy to touch!" Prince Rong's face changed instantly. "What did you say?" "I said, even if I die, I will never marry a beast like Zhao Zhongzhi!" Caiyue swore. "If I seduced Zhao Zhongzhi, may I die a horrible death and rot all over with sores!" Afraid that swearing an oath wasn't enough to show her stance, Caiyue declared she could prove her innocence by dying right then and there. Neither Prince Rong nor his wife had expected Cui Lingrong and her maidservant to take this attitude. They had assumed that since Caiyue was just a maidservant, once they got her into the mansion, they could deal with her however they pleased. Cui Lingrong also said, "Could it be that Your Highness thinks your son is so wonderful that every woman would want to be his concubine? Caiyue is unwilling, and I won't let Caiyue enter the prince's mansion. Once she's inside, wouldn't everything be up to you to decide?" She saw through the intentions of Prince Rong and his wife, and from then on, they had no way to handle her. However, Song Shulan and County Princess Rongjia then arrived. Song Shulan received the notice from the Rong Prince Mansion and rushed over in a hurry. County Princess Rongjia saw her second brother lying there unable to get up, charged over to Caiyue, and just as she raised her hand to strike Caiyue, she was blocked by Cui Lingrong, who appeared suddenly. "Get out of my way!" "I won't." "Then I'll hit you too!" County Princess Rongjia raised her hand, and Cui Zeyu immediately shouted, "How dare you!" County Princess Rongjia looked over, and her hand truly couldn't come down. She said in a fury, "Cui Zeyu, I wonder if you like Cui Lingrong. If she were eating shit, would you follow along and do the same?" "County Mistress, don't talk nonsense!" Cui Lingrong frowned deeply. "Listen to what you're saying. If this gets out, everyone will think you've lost your mind!" How could Zeyu possibly like her? County Princess Rongjia was spouting utter nonsense! Cui Lingrong had always treated Zeyu as a younger brother and had never had any other thoughts. Hearing County Princess Rongjia say this, she only found it absurd. "Then why does he protect you at every turn?" County Princess Rongjia began to speak recklessly. "Tell me, he's not your real brother, yet he goes to Qiushuang Zhai to find you at every opportunity. If there were nothing going on between you two, who would believe—" "County Mistress!" This time it was Song Shulan who spoke up to interrupt County Princess Rongjia. There were still people from the government office present. If County Princess Rongjia continued talking nonsense, not only would Cui Lingrong lose face, but Song Shulan would lose even more face. He shot her a look, and County Princess Rongjia turned away in grievance. She didn't think she had said anything wrong; on the contrary, she felt satisfied inside. Whether or not there was anything between Cui Lingrong and Cui Zeyu, being able to sling mud at Cui Lingrong made her happy. Song Shulan looked at Cui Lingrong. "Lady Cui, such matters are never pleasant to speak of. Caiyue is a young woman—surely you don't want her to be the subject of gossip and pointing fingers?" "What does the Marquis mean?" "Why don't we make a big deal out of something small, and a small deal out of nothing? After all, we're all family. There's no need to make things so ugly, don't you think?" Song Shulan felt Cui Lingrong was making a mountain out of a molehill. Caiyue was just a maidservant; even if she died in Zhao Zhongzhi's bed, it wouldn't matter much. What mattered was that Zhao Zhongzhi's injuries had better not be serious, or it would affect his dealings with the Rong Prince Mansion. Hearing this, disappointment filled Cui Lingrong's eyes. "I say no!"