Chapter 266

Chapter 266: A Stirring of the Heart By the time Wang Hechun's Wife brought over the refreshments, she saw Du Cheng with his sleeves rolled up, hunched over as he washed the inkstone. Back when she was in the Du household, Wang Hechun's Wife had seen Elder Master Du a few times. Though much time had passed, Elder Master Du had such striking features that he was hard to forget. Although Du Cheng was not quite on par with Elder Master Du, he was still handsome and bright. When she caught a glimpse of his profile, Wang Hechun's Wife felt a momentary daze, almost thinking it was Elder Master Du reincarnated. "Master Cheng, have some refreshments. The County Mistress had them prepared for you," Wang Hechun's Wife said. "Really?" Du Cheng's eyes instantly lit up as he looked over. His gaze was so fervent that County Princess Rongjia felt a vitality she hadn't experienced in a long time—something she hadn't felt in ages. "They're just ordinary things from the kitchen. Mama Wang misspoke—they weren't specially prepared." No sooner had County Princess Rongjia finished speaking than she saw Du Cheng's gaze visibly dim. She suddenly felt a pang of reluctance. She had no idea why such a thought had even crossed her mind. Du Cheng didn't stay long, because Song Shulan didn't like him coming over. Every time, he would sit briefly and then leave—today had already been longer than usual. After eating a piece of refreshment, Du Cheng took his leave of County Princess Rongjia. Exiting the Wutong Courtyard, Du Cheng knew the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion well and didn't need a maid to guide him. Passing through the garden, he noticed a young girl striking a plum tree. The plum tree had already shed all its leaves, leaving only bare branches. Cui Lingying was whipping them with a branch to vent her frustration. Noticing someone staring at her, she snapped irritably, "What are you looking at? Don't you know any manners? Where are you from, you brat? Don't you know you're not supposed to stare at a young lady?" "You don't recognize me?" Du Cheng asked. "What nonsense—why would I need to recognize you?" "I'm the son of County Princess Rongjia's... former husband. Is something troubling you, miss?" Du Cheng asked. Upon learning that the man before her was connected to County Princess Rongjia, Cui Lingying immediately changed her attitude. "Oh my, so you're family after all. I'm the Marquis's wife's younger sister, third among my sisters. You may call me Third Miss Cui." Seeing that Du Cheng was refined and handsome, and learning that he lived in the Rong Prince Mansion, she thought to herself that Du Cheng must be highly valued by County Princess Rongjia and the Rong Prince Mansion. Since the Wu Prince Mansion looked down on her, she would be perfectly willing to marry into the Rong Prince Mansion instead. Cui Lingying immediately approached Du Cheng with warmth, asking what he usually did and why he had come to the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion. Du Cheng answered some of her questions, but once he learned of Cui Lingying's identity, he felt nothing but contempt. Though he had never met her before, he had already heard from others that the Third Miss of the Cui family was desperate to marry. He didn't want to get entangled with Cui Lingying, so he found an excuse to slip away. Cui Lingying immediately dropped the branch and ran back to find her mother, bringing up Du Cheng. "Really, I'm not lying to you. That Du family boy has excellent looks. And he lives in the Rong Prince Mansion, which shows how much County Princess Rongjia values him. County Princess Rongjia has no children of her own and may never have any. Given her noble status, the family she married into must be quite good, right?" Mrs. Cai knew nothing at all about the Du family. She still preferred for her daughter to marry into the Wu Prince Mansion. "No matter how good the Du family is, they can't compare to the Wu Prince Mansion. What is a prince's mansion? It's the home of royalty and nobility. If you marry there, you'll be the Princess Consort, and even the Du family would have to bow to you." "But that man from the Wu Prince Mansion lost his wife and has children. I don't want to be a stepmother." No sooner had Cui Lingying finished speaking than her mother pinched her. "Mother, what are you doing?" "I'm hitting you because you can't tell good from bad!" Mrs. Cai was furious. "What's wrong with being a stepmother? Didn't the County Mistress say that the legitimate son is naturally frail and won't live to adulthood? A concubine-born child is worthless. As long as you give birth to a legitimate son, won't the prince's mansion be yours?" Cui Lingying pouted. "It's not like they want me anyway." "Who said that? They just haven't seen how wonderful you are. Listen to me—County Princess Rongjia has already arranged everything for you. As long as you do as I say, there's no problem at all." After Mrs. Cai finished speaking, seeing that her daughter didn't look very pleased, she couldn't help but say, "You've only met Du Cheng once. Is he some kind of fox spirit? Has he already stolen your soul away?" "He... he's handsome." Cui Lingying giggled. Mrs. Cai was nearly furious enough to faint. "What use is being handsome?" Cui Lingying said nothing more—she just felt that Du Cheng was very pleasing to her eye. "Fine, fine, fine. I promise you, I'll first inquire about the Du family's standing. If the Du family is acceptable, we can try both. And with the Zhuang family as well—you should be more enthusiastic there too. Even though there's a generation gap, I don't care about such empty formalities. Practicality is what matters most." What did a generation gap matter? Mrs. Cai valued practical benefits above all. Now that Zhuang Huaiming was rising in power, even though the Zhuang family had only recently arrived in Bianjing, in the long run, the Zhuang family was also a good choice. Of course, Mrs. Cai still valued the Wu Prince Mansion the most. Her daughter was ten thousand times better than Cui Lingrong and her mother—she absolutely had to marry better. While Mrs. Cai was planning her daughter's marriage, Cui Junyan got himself into trouble and was arrested by the prefectural office. When the news reached the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, Mrs. Cai rushed frantically to find Cui Lingrong. "They say your brother broke someone's leg—but your brother barely has any strength, and he was drunk besides. How could he possibly have done such a thing?" Mrs. Cai was frantic, reaching out to grab Cui Lingrong, only to be dodged. "I told you before, Madam, to watch who he keeps company with. You chose not to take it seriously." Cui Lingrong said she had no way to get him out. "The old matriarch of the Fu family was the Emperor's wet nurse, and the Emperor has always favored the Fus. Otherwise, do you think the Eldest Son of the Fu Family could still be alive and well after all the foolish things he's done?" The moment she learned it was the Eldest Son of the Du family who had been hurt, Cui Lingrong knew—someone had used that fool Cui Junyan to teach the Eldest Son of the Fu Family a lesson. "Then we pay compensation? Or you come with me to apologize in person?" Mrs. Cai had only one biological son, and she treasured him above all else. "Does Madam think the Fu family is short on money? Or will a simple 'I'm sorry' mend the Eldest Son of the Fu Family's leg?" Cui Lingrong refused to go. "I advise you—let the law take its course. Rather than resorting to our own schemes, it's better to let the prefectural court handle it. Otherwise, even if he gets out, once he falls into the Fu family's hands, I fear he'll wish he were dead." "Don't try to fool me—you just don't want to help, so you keep making excuses!" Mrs. Cai was frantic. "Cui Lingrong, Junyan is your own blood brother! If something happens to him, do you think you'll come out unscathed?" Mrs. Cai pointed at Cui Lingrong—had she not still needed her help, she would have already slapped her across the face. Looking at Mrs. Cai's shameless face, Cui Lingrong once again felt grateful that she hadn't grown up in the Cui household. "Then what if I simply refuse? What can Madam do to me?" The Cui family's reputation, sibling blood ties—Cui Lingrong no longer cared. What more could they do to her? Did they really think she was still the same Cui Lingrong as before?