Chapter 265

Chapter 265: Fond of Male Favor "Since Mother has a plan in mind, there's no need to panic," Song Yu said. "If we were to block the Cui family, they would only blame us for looking down on them. Now that we let them come and go freely, whatever others say, they can't pin it on us." Cui Lingrong agreed. "That stepmother of mine comes from a landlord's daughter—not much vision. She merely had a decent appearance, which caught my father's eye. Speaking of which, I was very fortunate to have been raised by your grand-aunt. Otherwise, I fear I would have turned out like the rest of the Cui family." Cui Lingrong's birth mother was the daughter of a xiucai (scholar-degree holder) and was not originally from Yangzhou. After Cui Lingrong's mother passed away, her maternal family moved away when her uncle went into business, and there was no further contact. When her mother died, Cui Lingrong was very young. She couldn't even remember what her mother looked like, let alone her maternal relatives. Even if her maternal grandparents stood right before her, she wouldn't recognize them. Song Yu was also glad that her mother had been taken away and raised by the grand-aunt. "I heard that the young uncle from the Cui family has recently been keeping company with a bunch of shady wastrels." "I've heard that too. I'll remind Mrs. Cai, so she can't blame me later for not saying anything," Cui Lingrong said. The next day, when she went to pay her respects, Cui Lingrong brought up the matter in front of Old Madame and the others. "I wonder if Mother has looked into Junyan's circle of friends?" Mrs. Cai knew a little. "Junyan has always been sensible. The people he associates with all come from good families." "Family background is one thing, but that Sixth Ger of the Lin family is a gambler. A few years ago, the Lin family nearly had to sell their land because of his gambling. And as for the eldest of the Fu family—does Mother know why he has never had children?" Cui Lingrong asked. Mrs. Cai frowned deeply, feeling that Cui Lingrong had nothing good to say. "What are you trying to say?" Cui Lingrong looked at Old Madame Song. "Old Madame must have heard of this, right?" Old Madame Song said with disdain, "That eldest Fu is fond of male favor—he loves to toy with handsome young lads. Didn't his servant boy jump into the river and die the year before last?" Cui Lingrong said that was exactly it. "If Mother already knows about Junyan's friends, then I won't say more, lest you accuse me of being a killjoy. But although these people come from good families, their conduct is poor. If anything happens to Junyan in the future, don't blame me for not having warned you." Mrs. Cai was unconcerned. "Junyan has only been in Bianjing for a short time, and he never studied here, so naturally he can't yet make the acquaintance of Zhuangyuan (Top Scholars) and xiucai. One always starts with ordinary people; only after breaking into the circle can new opportunities arise. If you, as his elder sister, truly want to be helpful, why not find a good match for your younger brother instead?" Cui Lingrong had said her piece and left Shouan Tang without further ado. Mrs. Cai stayed behind. She felt that Old Madame's natal family was quite good, and if there was a suitable match, it would be fate for the children. Anyway, she would cast a wide net and see what she could catch. Mrs. Cai was good at ingratiating herself and telling entertaining stories, and with her deliberate flattery, Old Madame Song kept her there chatting for quite a while. It wasn't until Mrs. Cai brought up the Su family that Old Madame Song realized Mrs. Cai's true intention. Old Madame Song was willing to let Mrs. Cai flatter her, but that didn't mean she thought highly of the Cui family's standing. Especially now that she didn't care for Cui Lingrong, she certainly wouldn't want the Cui family to form any connection with her natal family. "You're asking about the Su family? The eldest are all married, and the younger ones are still too young. There's nothing to worry about," Old Madame Song said plainly. Mrs. Cai immediately lost interest upon hearing this. No longer willing to flatter Old Madame Song, she found an excuse to leave after a moment. After exiting Shouan Tang, Mrs. Cai, unwilling to give up, went to Wutong Yuan to see County Princess Rongjia. "County Princess, is there truly no hope at all with the Prince Consort Wu's household?" She thought that the heir of Prince Wu was a widower, and her Lingying was still an unmarried maiden. If it were a first marriage, the Cui family naturally couldn't aspire to the Prince Wu household, but this was only for a Successor Wife. County Princess Rongjia sighed. "It's not entirely hopeless. After all, even Yu-jie didn't catch his eye, and our Lingying is no worse than Yu-jie. In my opinion, Lingying is even better than Yu-jie." "That's true." Mrs. Cai nodded without the slightest shame. "I think Princess Consort Wu does have some thoughts on the matter. Perhaps my cousin simply lost his first wife recently and isn't yet thinking of remarrying." County Princess Rongjia leaned in a little. "In my view, Lingying is so beautiful—why not have her take a more proactive approach and appear before my cousin more often? Men are all lustful, and with Lingying's looks, who knows—she might just have a chance?" Mrs. Cai looked troubled. "But invitations from the Prince Wu household never reach my hands." The implication was that she hoped County Princess Rongjia would help make the connection again. "That's simple. We both share the surname Zhao. Any banquet the Prince Wu household can attend, I can attend too. I'll just bring you along then." County Princess Rongjia then mentioned Cui Junyan as well. "Bring Junyan along too—he might meet more people." Mrs. Cai said gratefully, "Then we'll be in your debt, County Princess. We will remember your kindness forever." "No need for such courtesy." County Princess Rongjia smiled until she was tired of it. After sending Mrs. Cai away, her expression changed instantly. "What a piece of trash!" Wang Hechun's Wife came over to serve tea. "Cui Lingying and the Eldest Madam are both daughters of the Cui family. If Cui Lingying makes a fool of herself at the banquet and ruins her reputation, the Eldest Madam won't be able to hold her head up either. These people from the Cui family—Heaven itself sent them to help you, County Mistress. We don't even need to lift a finger to put the Eldest Madam in a difficult position." Hearing Wang Hechun's Wife say this, County Princess Rongjia gave a snort, her red lips curving upward. "Cui Lingrong may be clever, but what good does her cleverness do her? With a natal family like that dragging her down, she can never surpass me in this lifetime!" "A hundred Cui families couldn't compare to the Rong Prince Mansion. On this point alone, the Eldest Madam will always lose to you." Wang Hechun's Wife said what her mistress liked to hear. While the mistress and servant were speaking, a maid came in to announce that Young Master Cheng had arrived. During this period, although Du Cheng didn't reside at the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, he would come to pay his respects to County Princess Rongjia on his days off—the first and fifteenth of each month. At first, County Princess Rongjia refused to see Du Cheng. But Du Cheng was stubborn to the core—he wouldn't leave without seeing County Princess Rongjia. As time passed and County Princess Rongjia saw Du Cheng more frequently, she grew accustomed to his visits. "Let him in. Mama Wang, go bring out some refreshments." Wang Hechun's Wife thought to herself that the County Mistress's attitude had truly changed a great deal—from wishing Du Cheng dead to now preparing refreshments for him when he came. Just as Wang Hechun's Wife was leaving, Du Cheng arrived. "Greetings to the County Mistress. Did something pleasant happen today?" Du Cheng noticed County Princess Rongjia was painting, so he walked over to the desk and took the initiative to grind ink for her. "You look very happy." "Do I?" "Yes, you do. Your complexion looks especially lovely today." As Du Cheng raised his eyes, County Princess Rongjia happened to look over at him. He reached out of his own accord to take the writing brush from her hand. Fingers touched fingers. County Princess Rongjia's hands were well cared for—smooth and delicate. In that brief instant, Du Cheng not only failed to withdraw his hand but smiled at County Princess Rongjia as well. "Does the County Mistress still need this? How about I wash the inkstone for you?" It was an utterly ordinary remark, yet County Princess Rongjia felt her heart skip a beat. Especially the way Du Cheng smiled at her—it reminded her once again of Du Shibei in his youth. The two of them were far too alike. She had even wondered whether Du Cheng might be Du Shibei's illegitimate son. But judging by their ages, that seemed highly unlikely.