Chapter 296

Chapter 296: Tender and Delicate The door slammed against the wall with a thunderous bang. Song Shulan had never felt so humiliated in his entire life. When he saw Cui Lingrong, he demanded angrily, "Where is he? Where is Xie Yunting?" Cui Lingrong looked at Song Shulan with utter exasperation. "Marquis, have you lost your mind? I already told you—General Xie and I are completely innocent. Who else could possibly be here?" Before Song Shulan could respond, Zhao Susu and Madam Qian also entered the room. The two of them turned their heads left and right but saw no sign of anyone. "That's impossible. I saw it with my own eyes." Madam Qian grabbed Zhao Susu's hand, insisting repeatedly. Zhao Susu frowned deeply. The private room was only so big—it was perfectly clear whether anyone else was present. "Could he have run off?" Madam Qian said that was impossible. "My people have been watching the entrance the whole time. There's no way he could have escaped." As she spoke, Madam Qian paced around the room several times but found nothing. This made her even more anxious. Song Shulan was also stunned. He looked at Madam Qian, then at Zhao Susu. "What exactly is going on?" "No, I really saw him!" Madam Qian emphasized again. "If I hadn't truly seen him, why would I have called you all here!" Zhao Susu also felt that her second sister-in-law wouldn't speak carelessly. If she had gathered them all here, she must have had evidence. "But where is he?" With that, they all looked up together but still saw no one. Madam Qian rushed up to Cui Lingrong. "Lady Cui, where is Xie Yunting?" "You're asking me? I should be asking you. Where is there any Xie Yunting here?" Cui Lingrong sneered. "Madam Qian, have you also lost your mind and mistaken someone? Besides Nanny Qiu, the only one who came by was Er Shun. Who else could there possibly be?" "Then... then why did you have Dongyun keeping watch at the door?" Zhao Susu pressed on relentlessly. "I didn't want to be disturbed. Is that not allowed?" Cui Lingrong gestured to the table. "There's only one teacup here. Who else do you think could be here?" With that, Cui Lingrong turned to Song Shulan. "Marquis, shouldn't you give me an explanation for today's events? I am your lawful wife. I've been publicly slandered, and as my husband, my face is your face." Song Shulan couldn't find Xie Yunting, so he looked at Madam Qian, then at Zhao Susu. Zhao Susu had even checked outside the window and confirmed that no one could be hiding in the private room before she turned to her second sister-in-law. "Say something. What other possibility is there?" Madam Qian felt deeply wronged. "I really did see him! And I was right next door—I even heard people talking." "What did they say?" Zhao Susu asked. "I... I couldn't make it out clearly." Madam Qian pursed her lips. "It's not like I was alone in the room. Isn't it perfectly normal for people to be talking?" Cui Lingrong stood up. "Madam Qian, I'll let you search today. Go ahead and turn this teahouse upside down. If you can't find anyone, then unless you give me an explanation today, I will definitely take this to the magistrate's office. You have slandered my reputation!" "What are you being so arrogant about?" Madam Qian pointed at Cui Lingrong. "Fine then, I'll search every corner!" Madam Qian ordered her people to search room by room. The shopkeeper wailed in distress, saying this was where they did business—how could anyone possibly hide here? Madam Qian's commotion drew quite a crowd of onlookers. Of course, Madam Qian found nothing. As for the establishment, it was staffed by Cui Lingrong's people, because this teahouse was Cui Zeyu's property. Cui Lingrong had chosen this place precisely as a precaution, never expecting that Madam Qian would actually run into her. The shopkeeper came in and pleaded, "Honored guests, I beg of you—this humble shop runs on small profits. If you offend the other customers like this, how are we supposed to do business in the future? As for this General Xie you speak of, he never came here at all." "You're talking nonsense! I saw him with my own eyes!" Madam Qian charged forward. The shopkeeper stepped back in fear. "Please don't be angry, honored lady. If you insist that General Xie came, I have no way to prove otherwise. But I have no grudge against any of you, and I haven't taken anyone's bribes. I'm just telling the truth as it is!" Hearing the shopkeeper say this, Song Shulan didn't dare look at Cui Lingrong again, feeling somewhat guilty. Cui Lingrong spoke once more. "The Marquis heard that clearly, didn't he? Even the shopkeeper has said so. Can you still not tell who is innocent and who has lost their mind?" By this point, even Zhao Susu felt that her second sister-in-law had been under too much strain and might be having hallucinations. Madam Qian shouted loudly, "I wasn't mistaken! I really did see him!" The more she insisted, the more abnormal she seemed to others. Cui Lingrong deliberately walked to the doorway where the crowd was gathered. "You are the Second Madam of the Rong Prince Mansion. You want to slander me, yet you have neither witnesses nor evidence. Let's go to the Rong Prince Mansion right now and discuss this—let's see what they have to say!" Cui Lingrong deliberately highlighted Madam Qian's identity to let everyone know that Madam Qian was unhinged and mistook people wherever she looked. The Rong Prince Mansion had already been in the spotlight recently, and now Madam Qian was slandering someone's reputation. The crowd began to murmur among themselves. Even Zhao Susu could see something was off and pulled Madam Qian away to leave first. Nanny Qiu, however, blocked their way. "Both ladies, my mistress has said that she will go to the Rong Prince Mansion with you to settle this matter. Surely you wouldn't let my mistress suffer such injustice without recourse?" "Nanny Qiu, you should learn to be lenient where leniency is due. My second sister-in-law may have simply made a mistake in what she saw. We're all relatives here—why must you cling to this so stubbornly?" Zhao Susu snapped. "Besides, you're just a servant. What right do you have to block our path?" "Nanny Qiu may not have the right, but do I?" Cui Lingrong stepped up beside Nanny Qiu. "Zhao Susu, you call us relatives. But when Madam Qian sent you to slander me, did she ever stop to think that we are relatives?" Zhao Susu couldn't out-argue Cui Lingrong, so she turned to look at Song Shulan, reminding him, "Master Song, so many people are watching!" If they kept quarreling like this, the Rong Prince Mansion would lose all face. Only then did Song Shulan speak up. "Cui Shi, since nothing happened, why must you make a mountain out of a molehill?" "Marquis, you are truly partial—or perhaps you're simply a coward at heart. When your own wife is slandered, you don't dare step forward to defend her. Are you even a man?" Cui Lingrong directly challenged Song Shulan's manhood in front of everyone. Song Shulan's face visibly reddened. Ever since he had lost his manhood, this was the thing he cared about most—and now Cui Lingrong was saying it openly in front of others. Just then, someone muttered in the crowd, "This Marchioness Song is truly pitiful. She's being bullied right to her face, and Marquis Song just cowers without an ounce of manly courage." "Indeed, what a coward!" "I don't think it's cowardice—I think he doesn't want to offend the Rong Prince Mansion. I've heard that he married an Equal Wife just for the power of the Rong Prince Mansion. He's living off his wife!" "Tsk tsk, to think there's such a kept man in this world. Though Marquis Song is indeed handsome—look at his skin, so fair and delicate, just like a woman's!" ... Not only were the people in the corridor discussing him, but even the guests on the first floor looked up. These words fell on Song Shulan's ears—especially that remark about his delicate skin—making him acutely sensitive to the possibility that someone had spread word of his impotence. "To the Rong Prince Mansion!" With no other choice, Song Shulan gritted his teeth and uttered those three words!