Chapter 298

Chapter 298: Sending the Letter of Divorce Cui Zeyu had always wanted to do something for his sister. This time, he was truly angered—Song Shulan, that coward, was not worthy of his sister. What Cui Lingrong was thinking about, however, was Wu Hui. Logically speaking, when it came to her younger brother's noble title, it should either be requested for his mother or bestowed upon his wife. "Sister-in-law, when do you plan to..." "I've already discussed this with Wu Shi, and she agreed. Sister, rest assured—she is most reasonable. In the future, I will also petition for a noble title for her." The moment Cui Zeyu had brought it up with Wu Hui, she had expressed her consent. Between them, they interacted very naturally. If the Wu family had any needs, he would also help Wu Hui hold up appearances. The two had already formed a tacit understanding. Cui Lingrong was deeply moved. "Sister, feel free to stay here in peace. I've now moved to the Duke of Dingguo's mansion—this residence is yours. The deed is in your room. You can live here whenever you wish, or sell it if you like." He paused, then said seriously, "No matter what decision you make, I will stand by your side. Don't be distant or formal with me—that would be the greatest kindness you could show me." Ever since he had married, his sister generally didn't seek him out for ordinary matters, and he never had the time to run over to the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion. Today, having petitioned for his sister's noble title, Cui Zeyu was very pleased. He had already sent people to bring Yu-jie and the others over, planning to take them out for a meal at a restaurant. Cui Lingrong said she would treat them, and also sent someone to invite Yuan Mingzhu. She knew Yuan Mingzhu was having a difficult time now, and whenever anything came up, she would think of them. Song Mingxuan was studying. Once Yu-jie and Jin-ge arrived, Cui Lingrong and the group headed to Fan Lou together. The moment she saw Wu Hui, before Cui Lingrong could even speak, Wu Hui enthusiastically came over to congratulate her. "Congratulations, Sister. That you received the noble title is what my husband ought to have done." Wu Hui's sister-in-law had made one sour remark about this matter, but when Wu Hui mentioned that an elder sister is like a mother—that without Lady Cui, there would be no Cui Zeyu today—her sister-in-law fell silent. As for the rest of the family, they all understood as well. She herself understood perfectly well that Cui Zeyu held this person dear in his heart, and she was willing to go along with Cui Zeyu's arrangements. Yu-jie and her brother were also delighted, pulling Wu Hui along to look at the lanterns. When the dishes were served, Cui Lingrong saw Xie Yunting push open the door and enter. She was momentarily stunned. "I ran into Lord Zhuang downstairs and only then learned that Brother Cui was hosting at Fan Lou. Brother Cui, how disloyal of you—with such a momentous occasion for Sister Cui, you didn't even tell me?" Xie Yunting finished speaking in a joking manner, then made no further show of attentiveness. Just as he and Cui Lingrong had agreed, they would pretend the confession had never happened. No sooner had Xie Yunting finished speaking than Zhuang Huaiming and the others arrived, and Cui Zeyu hurried over to welcome them. Zhuang Qi immediately pounced on Song Yu. "Yu-jie, I finally get to see you!" Song Yu caught Zhuang Qi in a full embrace. "My dear little sister, you're hugging way too hard, haha." "I missed you so much! My brother missed you too." With that, Zhuang Qi tugged at her brother, but her brother glanced at them with a red face, then turned and sat down beside his father. "Hehe, he's shy." Zhuang Qi had once overheard her father mention Yu-jie to Concubine Lu—it seemed he wanted Yu-jie to become her sister-in-law. She was naturally delighted by this, so she wanted to grow even closer to Yu-jie. Song Yu glanced toward her maternal uncle from the Zhuang family, but didn't respond to Qi-jie'er's words. Instead, she pulled Qi-jie'er along to meet her aunt-in-law. With more people, things became livelier. While they were having a boisterous time over there, over at the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, they had waited half the day without anyone from Cui Lingrong's side coming to report the good news. In Shouan Tang, Old Madame Song sat with an ashen face, glaring at her son and daughter-in-law. "It's already dark and no one has come. They simply don't take us seriously at all, do they?" When he learned today that Cui Lingrong had received the noble title, Song Shulan had been somewhat pleased, thinking it was a good thing. But then he remembered that the title had been petitioned for by Cui Zeyu on Cui Lingrong's behalf, and it left a bitter taste in his mouth. Now hearing Old Madame's sarcasm, Song Shulan felt uncomfortable as well. "Cui Shi has indeed been somewhat lacking in propriety lately." "If she doesn't know propriety, then she can give up her position." Old Madame Song had endured Cui Lingrong for far too long and said directly, "Since Cui Shi doesn't take the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion seriously, send her a letter of divorce. If she doesn't come back, then she need never come back at all." Of course, Old Madame Song didn't actually intend to divorce Cui Lingrong. After all, Zhao Susu was no longer a County Mistress, and Cui Lingrong had now received a noble title—comparing the two, this was merely meant to frighten Cui Lingrong. Moreover, Cui Zeyu and the Zhuang family currently held power; otherwise, Old Madame Song wouldn't have endured for so long. When Zhao Susu heard Old Madame's words, she immediately curled her lips into a smile. "Old Madame, are you serious?" Old Madame Song saw through Zhao Susu's intentions at a glance. "If she isn't even afraid of a letter of divorce, then she needn't come back." But Old Madame Song believed that Cui Lingrong would definitely return. After all, once the divorce letter was sent, Cui Lingrong would surely be frightened. When Song Shulan heard Old Madame say this, his heart tightened. "Mother, are you being serious?" Old Madame Song said in exasperation, "What are you thinking? Do you really think I'm telling you to divorce Cui Shi? I'm only doing this because I can see you have no way to control her—I'm trying to help you scare her a little!" Song Shulan finally understood the Old Madame's meaning. "What if she actually takes the letter of divorce?" "Do you think that's possible? Lady Cui values those three children above all else, and Yu-jie is at the most critical point in her marriage negotiations. If she took your letter of divorce, combined with the recent rumors and gossip, does she want Yu-jie to never marry for the rest of her life?" Old Madame Song very much wanted to roll her eyes. "Besides, can't you use your head? As long as the letter of divorce isn't signed and sealed, what can she do with it even if she takes it?" Hearing that the Old Madame only intended to scare Cui Lingrong, Zhao Susu's face fell immediately. Song Shulan, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief. "That could work." Recently, Cui Lingrong had indeed been provoking him repeatedly. Writing a letter of divorce and sending it over would indeed give Cui Lingrong a good scare. Song Shulan immediately agreed. After returning from Shouan Tang, he promptly wrote the letter of divorce and had Qingshan deliver it to the Cui residence that very night. Qingshan held the letter of divorce, feeling its weight heavily. But since his master had given such an order, he could only steel himself and head to the Cui residence. When Qingshan arrived, it happened to be the time Cui Lingrong and her group were returning from Fan Lou. Seeing the bustle and liveliness of the eldest daughter-in-law's party, Qingshan found it hard to speak up. It was Song Yu who spotted Qingshan first and asked, "Qingshan, why are you here?" As she spoke, Song Yu glanced down at the object in Qingshan's hand. "What is this... a letter of divorce? What? Why are you holding a letter of divorce?" Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft—just enough for Cui Lingrong's entire group to hear. The smiles on everyone's faces immediately froze.