Chapter 269

Chapter 269: Making a Scene Cui Lingying and Du Cheng were both people County Princess Rongjia looked down upon, so to bring them together, County Princess Rongjia had to choose a time when no one else was around. Early in the morning, County Princess Rongjia brought Cui Lingying to the Rong Prince Mansion to meet Du Cheng. After County Princess Rongjia had greeted them, the Rong Prince Mansion specially prepared new clothes for Du Cheng, moved him to better quarters, and the servants became much more respectful—making it seem as though he was truly favored. "Come, come, Cheng-ger, this is Sister Lingying whom you've met before." County Princess Rongjia smiled and waved. Strictly speaking, Cui Lingying was a generation above Du Cheng, but at this moment, such distinctions were set aside. Du Cheng was taken aback. It was rare to see County Princess Rongjia so enthusiastic. Only when she told him to sit beside Cui Lingying did he realize her intention. Though Cui Lingying was shy, County Princess Rongjia had told her that opportunities were hers to seize. She took the initiative to push the pastries toward Du Cheng. "Brother Cheng, would you like some lotus seed crisps?" "I don't want any." Du Cheng didn't even glance at Cui Lingying. He kept looking at County Princess Rongjia. And County Princess Rongjia found an excuse to leave the two of them alone. Once County Princess Rongjia was gone, Cui Lingying grew bolder. She had deliberately applied fragrant powder today, and she leaned toward him. "Brother Cheng, is your daily studying very tiring? I made a sachet to refresh the mind—may I give it to you?" "I don't need it." Du Cheng remained seated upright. Seeing that Du Cheng wouldn't even crack a smile, Cui Lingying was puzzled. "Brother Cheng, do you dislike me? Why won't you even look at me?" "I don't dislike you, but I don't like you either." Du Cheng stood up abruptly. "Miss Cui, there has never been any connection between us. I don't know what the County Mistress told you, but there's already someone in my heart. Don't waste your efforts." He genuinely looked down on Cui Lingying. They had only met once, and already she was throwing herself at him. Moreover, when County Princess Rongjia was present, Mrs. Cai was nowhere to be seen—clearly Mrs. Cai wasn't all that eager to push them together either. Du Cheng left after making his stance clear. Cui Lingying stood frozen in place, heartbroken. It wasn't until her mother, Mrs. Cai, came looking for her that she threw herself into her mother's arms in grievance. "Wuwu, Mother, Du Cheng said he already has someone in his heart." "So what if he does? If he were County Princess Rongjia's biological son, then I might be upset. But he's just an adopted son, and the eldest son of the Du family is gone. If you really married into that family, who would be there to help you?" Mrs. Cai anxiously wiped her daughter's tears. "Hurry and tidy yourself up. The Martial Prince's heir has arrived. You need to put on a good showing later—the time for our whole family to rise has come!" Her son was going off to serve in the army. If she could secure a powerful in-law connection, perhaps he could return sooner. Mrs. Cai had only one biological son, and she feared he would die on the battlefield. The Cui family couldn't be relied upon; she could only pin her hopes on her youngest daughter's marriage. "I don't want to go." Cui Lingying was still upset, but her mother forcibly dragged her out. It wasn't until she caught sight of Zhao Zhongfu from a distance that Cui Lingying felt a flicker of interest. The reason was simple—Zhao Zhongfu was rather handsome and carried an air of nobility. Cui Lingying was the type to like handsome men, so at this moment, she had already forgotten the sorrow of being rejected by Du Cheng. She hurriedly wiped her face, preparing to strike up a conversation with the Martial Prince's heir. However, Zhao Zhongfu was a male guest. Any woman lingering to talk with him would easily draw attention. Mrs. Cai couldn't care less about that. She only thought about making Zhao Zhongfu fall for her daughter's beauty, so she pulled her daughter over to greet him. When Zhao Zhongfu learned that the mother and daughter before him were Mrs. Cai and her daughter, undisguised disgust showed in his eyes. "So you're the mother-daughter pair from the Cui family. Truly, there are differences between people. Why is Marchioness Song refined and graceful, while you two are so utterly beneath notice?" Having learned from his mother that the Cui family had asked County Princess Rongjia to propose a match, Zhao Zhongfu had initially thought it was Song Yu whom his mother had taken a liking to—never expecting it to be the youngest daughter of the Cui family. Though Zhao Zhongfu had lost his first wife, he was hardly so desperate as to marry a girl from a family of no standing. Now seeing Mrs. Cai and her daughter eagerly crowding toward him, Zhao Zhongfu concluded they hadn't given up and deliberately said unpleasant things. Mrs. Cai's face went pale. "Heir... have you perhaps misunderstood something?" "No misunderstanding. Please step aside." Zhao Zhongfu didn't want to say another word to the mother and daughter. He brushed past them and walked away. Mrs. Cai refused to give up and turned to follow, but was stopped by Zhao Zhongfu's attendant. "Madam Cui, one must have a sense of shame. If not for the Princess Consort's regard for her friendship with Marchioness Song, you and your daughter would have been thrown out by now." Though spoken quietly, the banquet was bustling with people coming and going, and some still overheard. In an instant, Mrs. Cai and Cui Lingying became the focus of everyone's attention. Everyone wanted to get a good look at the Mrs. Cai who had supposedly made a scene at the Lin family. Sensing the crowd's gaze, Cui Lingying turned and ran. "Lingying!" Mrs. Cai chased after her, not catching up until they were outside the garden. "Lingying, what are you doing? The banquet has only just begun. If the Martial Prince's heir won't do, there are others!" "Mother, didn't you hear what the Young Prince of Wu said? With him speaking like that, what will others think of me?" Cui Lingying placed all the blame on her mother. "It's all your fault. If you hadn't insisted I go greet the Young Prince of Wu, why would I have been humiliated by him?" Without this humiliation, she might have been able to socialize with others. Now Cui Lingying didn't want to stay a moment longer. She felt like everyone was talking about her and her mother—she was a laughingstock today. Back in Yangzhou, she'd at least had a few suitors, but here in Bianjing, she was failing at every turn. Cui Lingying was deeply aggrieved, and her words slipped out without thought. "You were the one who insisted I come to Bianjing, saying that since Eldest Sister could marry into a marquis household, I could certainly marry well too. And what's the result? You got Brother conscripted into the army, and I've become the joke of the banquet. Are you satisfied now?" They were still at the Rong Prince Mansion, and Cui Lingying's words happened to be overheard by two maidservants of the mansion. Mrs. Cai, subjected to her daughter's repeated accusations, visibly flushed. "Fine, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have brought you all to Bianjing. I've ruined you—is that what you want to hear?" Mrs. Cai stormed off. Cui Lingying snapped at the maidservants, "What are you looking at? Have you no manners?" She had no choice but to leave the banquet as well. When she boarded the carriage and met her mother's gloomy face, Cui Lingying finally realized her words had gone too far. "I..." "You needn't say more. I overestimated you. How could you ever compare to Cui Lingrong? Even your father says Cui Lingrong stumbled into good fortune, being raised by your aunt, which is how she gained her current status. Tomorrow, I'll take you back to Yangzhou and have your Second Sister find you a match. I won't trouble myself further." Mrs. Cai's heart was wounded. Mrs. Cai had given her daughter everything, only to receive blame in return. She thought to herself that she should rely on her son instead—what use were daughters? Every one of them, utterly useless! Cui Lingying panicked. "Mother, I was wrong. I truly was wrong. It's the Young Prince of Wu who looks down on others—it's not our fault. Please help me again. Before I came to Bianjing, I promised my girlfriends that I would definitely marry into a noble family!" Cui Lingying pleaded all the way, but Mrs. Cai, her heart chilled, refused to say more. But after a night passed, they were mother and daughter after all. When Cui Lingying came to the bedside to attend to her mother's washing, Mrs. Cai's heart softened. "Ah, you, you—you're truly my karmic burden from a past life." "Mother, I truly know I was wrong. I'll listen to you." Cui Lingying wrapped her arms around her mother, showing her girlish demeanor. Mrs. Cai sighed. "Fine. I'll go ask County Princess Rongjia again and see if there's any way." "County Princess Rongjia?" Another voice interrupted the mother-daughter conversation. It was Cui Lingrong, pushing open the door and entering. She had been listening at the door for a while and finally chose this moment to come in. Looking at the mother and daughter by the edge of the bed, she sat down on the couch across from them. "Even now, Madam still believes County Princess Rongjia is truly helping you?"