Chapter 282

Chapter 282: Found Cui Zeyu had not yet recovered from his shock. It was Xie Yunting who punched him in the arm. "What are you spacing out for? Don't tell me you think I'm not good enough for your sister?" "No... you... how could you have such intentions?" Cui Zeyu looked at Xie Yunting with great bewilderment. He couldn't understand how Xie Yunting could possibly have feelings for his sister. He had originally followed because he'd learned his sister was heading this way, and he never expected to overhear Xie Yunting say something so shocking. "Isn't there a poem that goes, 'A fair and gentle maiden, a gentleman's worthy pursuit'? Sister Cui is top-notch in both appearance and character. Isn't it only natural that I'd like her?" Xie Yunting didn't see anything wrong with himself at all—in fact, he praised his own good taste. "It's Song Shulan who doesn't appreciate her. If I could be your brother-in-law, I'd spoil Sister Cui rotten." "But my sister is already a married woman," Cui Zeyu said. "So what? In our village, young wives have run off with young men before. Surely Bianjing doesn't forbid mutual divorce?" Xie Yunting said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Sister Cui isn't happy with Song Shulan anyway. Rather than suffering in the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, she'd be better off with me. I can give her a better life." Xie Yunting couldn't care less about what the world thought. If anyone dared to mock him, he'd take a knife to them without hesitation. Cui Zeyu still shook his head. "No. You're a man—you don't have to worry about consequences. But if one day you grow tired of her and stop protecting my sister, what is she supposed to do? Wait to be laughed at by all of Bianjing?" "Don't worry. I, Xie Yunting, can swear with my hand on my chest that I will never betray your sister!" Xie Yunting had talked so much his mouth had gone dry. "What, are you saying you don't want me as your brother-in-law? Or is there somewhere I fall short of Song Shulan?" Cui Zeyu said it was neither. But no matter how Xie Yunting pressed, Cui Zeyu refused to say more. And so Cui Zeyu and Xie Yunting parted on bad terms. On the other side, Cui Lingrong could be said to have fled in a panic. By the time she met Yuan Mingzhu, she still hadn't composed herself. "What's wrong with you? Did you see a ghost?" Yuan Mingzhu had just asked when her mother tugged her ear and told her not to speak nonsense. Old Madame Jiang hadn't been buried yet—if she said such things and actually ran into Old Madame Jiang's ghost, what then? Cui Lingrong said it was nothing, but even after returning to the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, she still couldn't calm down. So what Song Shulan had said wasn't just a baseless rumor after all. Only after the doors were shut did Nanny Qiu dare to ask, "What are you thinking now, Eldest Young Madam?" "You're asking what I'm thinking? Surely you don't think I'd actually get a mutual divorce, abandon my three children, and marry Xie Yunting without a care in the world?" Cui Lingrong nearly laughed at how absurd it sounded. Nanny Qiu sighed. "If only..." She couldn't finish the sentence. If there were no children, perhaps Eldest Young Madam really could get a mutual divorce and leave. Life in the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion was hardly a happy one. But given the current situation, she feared Eldest Young Madam might actually be tempted. Cui Lingrong said, "Xie Yunting is a favored minister of the Emperor. Even if I got a mutual divorce, I could never marry him. And if I were still living in Bianjing, how could I go out and socialize?" She couldn't only think of herself. "Then what do you plan to do?" Nanny Qiu asked. "What if General Xie refuses to give up and comes to pester you again?" Who could have imagined that General Xie would develop feelings for Eldest Young Madam—and declare it so suddenly, catching everyone completely off guard? Cui Lingrong didn't know what to do either, because Xie Yunting was someone she couldn't control. She spent two days on tenterhooks, but fortunately, as long as she stayed inside the mansion, Xie Yunting wouldn't come looking for her without cause. That day, Wang Hechun's Wife came to report that Cuixi had run off with someone. "That girl turned out to be utterly shameless. This morning when I didn't see her, I went to her room to check, and her clothes and jewelry were all gone. Eldest Young Madam, you're the mistress of this household—how is it that something as big as Cuixi running away happened without you knowing?" Wang Hechun's Wife actually blamed Cui Lingrong. Cui Lingrong had been preoccupied with the matter of Xie Yunting these past two days and indeed hadn't been paying close attention to household affairs. She hurriedly sent someone to investigate. The gatekeeper came back to report that Cuixi had gone out yesterday, having received orders from County Princess Rongjia. But Wang Hechun's Wife said County Princess Rongjia had given no such order for Cuixi to leave. "Then I wouldn't know about that. Anyway, that's what Cuixi said—otherwise, how could we have let her out?" The gatekeeper insisted firmly that was what had happened. One side said yes, the other said no. And Cuixi was nowhere to be found, with no one to testify to the truth. Cui Lingrong said, "Then report it to the authorities. If someone has gone missing, we need to know what happened. Whether she ran away or something happened to her, once we report it, the officials will investigate. Without a travel permit, a bondservant like her can't get far." Whether entering a city or staying at an inn, a travel permit was required. Even if she took mountain roads, if someone spotted her, she could be reported to the authorities. Seeing that Wang Hechun's Wife didn't object, Cui Lingrong thought—could it be that Cuixi really had eloped with someone? Little did she know, Wang Hechun's Wife was panicking inside. She hadn't slept well for two days. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Nanny Qiu asking her—following a mistress like County Princess Rongjia, she wouldn't come to a good end either. Incidents like escaped slaves were not uncommon. The authorities had made a record of it and said they would send word to the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion if any news came up. At this point, Cui Lingrong hadn't given it much thought—until Song Shulan, upon learning that Cuixi had run away, tried to arrange a replacement for County Princess Rongjia. The county princess adamantly refused, even arguing with Song Shulan over it. Only then did Cui Lingrong find it somewhat strange. But before any news of Cuixi arrived, Cui Zeyu brought another piece of news first—he had found the younger brother of Elder Master Du's concubine kept in a hidden residence. "That Mei Qiusheng says he has letters his sister sent him, and he's also found the poison the county princess used." Cui Zeyu was quite excited. "This time, let's see how County Princess Rongjia escapes!" Cui Lingrong was pleased to hear this as well. If they could deal with County Princess Rongjia, perhaps they could ensure she never recovered from this. "Sister, how should we arrange this?" Cui Zeyu asked. Cui Lingrong said to do it as soon as possible. "Take advantage of this moment when the Emperor already has some grievances against the Rong Prince Mansion. Have Mei Qiusheng go beat the drum and file his complaint. The reason he didn't dare show his face before must have been fear of retaliation from the Rong Prince Mansion. Now that we're behind him, tell him not to be afraid—we will definitely help him." Cui Zeyu nodded in agreement. After finishing the matter of Mei Qiusheng, he thought of what Xie Yunting had said to his sister and hesitated whether to ask. "What's wrong? Is there something else?" Cui Zeyu shook his head and instead turned the conversation to recent matters concerning Yu-jie and her younger brother. After Cui Zeyu left, someone came from the authorities, reporting that Cuixi's body had been found. She had died in a dilapidated temple, completely unclothed, and had been violated.