Chapter 27

Chapter 27: With Child The moonlight was hazy. Cui Lingrong was just about to retire for the night when she saw Song Shulan enter, and for a moment thought she must be seeing things. "Mother has been very worried about your health, my lady. Did you know that?" Song Shulan stood at the edge of the bed. At this hour, Cui Lingrong had already removed all her pearl hairpins. The more plainly she presented herself, the more ethereal and refined she appeared. Song Shulan had always been quite satisfied with Cui Lingrong's appearance, and now he couldn't help but take a few extra looks. "I'm sorry to have troubled Mother with her concern. My body truly is not what it once was... cough, cough..." Cui Lingrong had Nanny Qiu serve tea. "My lord, coming here so late at night—is there something you wish to discuss?" Song Shulan said there was nothing in particular, that he had simply come to check on her. "Madame Jiang is not up to the task. The marquis household still needs you to hold it together, my lady. You must recover quickly." Cui Lingrong said she wished she could, but it was not entirely within her control. From the moment he entered the room, Song Shulan had been studying Cui Lingrong. Was she truly ill? It certainly looked that way. And yet Mother had said Cui Lingrong was putting on airs. After much deliberation, Song Shulan still could not see through her. He sat down on the edge of the bed and took Cui Lingrong's hand. "I am busy with court affairs these days. Surely you want me to be free of worries at home, my lady?" "Of course." "In that case, once you are a little better, please take up the management of the household again. The marquis household truly cannot do without you. Consider it... consider it a plea from me, my lady, if you will?" Song Shulan spoke with earnest sincerity, gazing at Cui Lingrong with deep affection. After their eyes met, Cui Lingrong was the first to lower her gaze. She said in a quiet voice, "But my lord... I..." "If there's something you want, just say it plainly." Seeing Cui Lingrong hesitate and stumble over her words, Song Shulan grew a little anxious. Nanny Qiu, standing nearby, chose this moment to interject. "My lord, this old servant will be bold and speak her mind. The eldest madam has never asked for much, nor has she ever deliberately vied with Commandery Princess Rongjia. On the day of the autumn banquet, she only wished that you would stand by her side and lend her some support." But when Song Shulan had seen Commandery Princess Rongjia and the Heir of Prince Rong, he had completely forgotten the promise he made to Cui Lingrong. A person's instinctive reactions cannot be faked. Who mattered more and who mattered less—everyone knew the answer in their hearts. "Nanny Qiu, that's enough." Cui Lingrong cut her off, then looked back at Song Shulan. "I understand your intentions, my lord. But if I were to take over the household now, how would I manage it?" Song Shulan was puzzled. "Wouldn't you just manage it the same as before?" "My lord makes it sound simple. The Commandery Princess's status is different from mine. Should I treat everyone equally, or should I give Wutong Yuan special treatment?" Cui Lingrong laid out her analysis for Song Shulan. "The Commandery Princess Rongjia and I are both your principal wives, my lord. If Wutong Yuan's allowance were higher than Qiushuang Zhai's, what would others think of me? Would they still follow my arrangements? How could I establish my authority and get things done?" Song Shulan frowned deeply. He hadn't thought that far ahead. Cui Lingrong continued, "Furthermore, after the Commandery Princess took over management, she replaced quite a number of the household stewards. If someone makes a mistake now, should I punish them just as severely, or must I spare them out of deference to the Princess? If I show leniency for the Princess's sake, will anyone else still respect my authority?" With that, she shook her head and sighed. "My lord, for the past ten-odd years, you have only seen the peace and harmony of the marquis household. You have no idea how much I actually did, and I never once complained to you. These past few days, merely thinking about it has kept me awake at night. The physician said the same—if I cannot rest properly, my health will be very slow to recover." Song Shulan truly had not known about all these complications. But he understood one thing now: Cui Lingrong's illness was a "heart sickness." "I know you are in a difficult position, my lady. Whatever requests you have, just state them. We both want what is best for the marquis household." Cui Lingrong assumed a thoughtful expression. After a moment, she said, "Old Madame and you, my lord, have asked me to manage the household because you want the marquis household to improve. Since you have asked, I will put forward a few requests. First, Wutong Yuan's allowance must be the same as Qiushuang Zhai's. If the Commandery Princess has additional needs, she may use her own private funds to cover them. Second, all personnel changes must be decided by me alone, and no one else may interfere. Third, my birthday is approaching. I will invite a few close friends from the past to visit, and you, my lord, must make an appearance." "That's easy enough. I agree to all three of your requests." Song Shulan breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought Cui Lingrong might ask him to favor her exclusively. Merely celebrating her birthday—that was simple enough. "Since you have agreed, my lord, once I take over management, please issue the orders for the first two points yourself. That way, the household won't think I acted on my own authority, and I won't have the Commandery Princess coming after me for trouble." Cui Lingrong said. "This..." Song Shulan hesitated for a moment, but ultimately agreed. The Commandery Princess's expenses for clothing, food, and daily needs were indeed extravagant, and if they continued to be drawn from the household's public accounts, the marquis household could not sustain it. "However, some accounts from the past—let bygones be bygones. Don't go digging into them. Harmony is the most important thing, wouldn't you say?" Cui Lingrong understood. Song Shulan knew perfectly well that Commandery Princess Rongjia's bookkeeping was less than clean, and he was trying to shield her from scrutiny. She smiled and said yes, not arguing with Song Shulan. In her heart, however, she planned to find another way to make the Commandery Princess Rongjia cough up what she had taken. Two days later, Cui Lingrong's health had improved. She took over the account ledgers from Madame Jiang, then summoned Wang Shanxi's Wife. "I hear the Commandery Princess is feeling unwell. You are the first person by her side, so asking you about matters should be just the same." Cui Lingrong received the account books and went through them item by item with Caixia and Caiyue. "The Marquis said there's no need to investigate the previous expenses of Wutong Yuan, so I'll note the issues but won't pursue them further. However, this rosewood and glass screen, along with the porcelain and paintings, were all taken from the storeroom by the Princess without permission. Perhaps the Princess should ask Old Madame or the Marquis—if they say the items are hers, then we'll leave them be." Wang Shanxi's Wife's face turned ashen. This mistress of Qiushuang Zhai wasn't giving the Princess any face at all. She said awkwardly, "To report to the Eldest Young Madam, many of these items were brought by the Marquis to please the Princess." "Oh? All of them? Were they registered and recorded with time and place?" Cui Lingrong raised an eyebrow. Wang Shanxi's Wife couldn't answer. "Since not all of them were, then the Princess may trouble herself to ask Old Madame and the others. Otherwise, returning them to the storeroom is also acceptable." Cui Lingrong insisted on handling it this way. Princess Rongjia had been suppressing her all these days, and now it was her turn to make the Princess uncomfortable. "You're a clever person. The Princess comes from a noble background—she surely doesn't lack these trifles. Why earn herself a reputation for embezzling money?" "The Eldest Young Madam speaks too harshly. The Princess has no such intention." Wang Shanxi's Wife only now realized that this mistress of Qiushuang Zhai was not someone with a gentle temper—her edge was sharp indeed. "That's good then. Go back and report. I want an answer on how this will be handled by evening." Cui Lingrong signaled that Wang Shanxi's Wife could take her leave. She then had Nanny Qiu deliver a message to the main kitchen. Old Woman Hao was too old to handle her duties properly, so Cui Lingrong gave her five taels of silver as retirement money and sent her home to live out her years. From now on, Mama Yu would be in charge of the main kitchen. Old Woman Hao had been anxious these past days. When she heard that the Eldest Young Madam indeed wanted her gone, she immediately wept and begged for mercy. "Nanny Qiu, I don't want to go back. I can still work. Let Mama Yu be the manager—I'll just continue as a cook. Please plead with the Eldest Young Madam for me. I can't go back!" All the respect she currently enjoyed was because she was the head of the main kitchen. Otherwise, how could her son and daughter-in-law defer to her in everything? Nanny Qiu said coldly, "You've made so many mistakes. The Eldest Young Madam didn't have you beaten—that's already her showing leniency out of consideration for your years of service. Old Woman Hao, a person can't be a weathervane. You can't curry favor with one person and then try to ingratiate yourself with the Eldest Young Madam. Go home quietly and enjoy your retirement. You can still have a few comfortable years." Mama Yu laughed mockingly. "That's right, Old Woman Hao. The Eldest Young Madam is so kind. If it were me, I'd have you beaten to death with clubs!" Old Woman Hao was a longtime servant of the household and the first person to curry favor with Princess Rongjia after she married into the family. Cui Lingrong was killing the chicken to warn the monkeys—while also displaying her mercy. Anyone else with other intentions would now have to think twice. As for Old Woman Hao's future days—having failed in her duties, Princess Rongjia would not let her off easily. While Old Woman Hao was being led away, at Wutong Yuan, Princess Rongjia smashed several vases. "That bitch!" "Your Highness, please calm down. Don't stoop to her level—she's just a petty person who got lucky." Wang Shanxi's Wife hurried to console her. "Let's endure for now. As long as the Marquis's heart is with you, everything can still turn around." Princess Rongjia's chest was tight with anger. She wished she could rush to Qiushuang Zhai and slap Cui Lingrong twice across the face. A woman of such lowly origins dared to bully her! Wang Shanxi's Wife helped her mistress sit down, while Qingxue led the servants in sweeping up the broken porcelain. Princess Rongjia suddenly grabbed Wang Shanxi's Wife's hand tightly. "You... go fetch a physician. My stomach hurts a bit." "Take a deep breath, Your Highness. This old servant will send for someone right away." Wang Shanxi's Wife rushed out and had a servant boy run as fast as possible to fetch a doctor. When Shouan Tang learned that Princess Rongjia was unwell, Old Madame Song still sent Mama Xu to check on her. Mama Xu returned with joyful news. "Congratulations, Old Madame! Congratulations! The Princess is pregnant!"