Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Marital Relations Song Shulan was bleeding from the back of his head. Qingshan supported his master as they staggered back to the marquis's residence. When Qingshan asked where to go, the drunk Song Shulan instinctively muttered "Qiushuang Zhai" before passing out. When Cui Lingrong saw Song Shulan in such a disheveled state, she simply had Qingshan take him to the side chamber. "Madam, the Marquis's clothes are torn..." Before Qingshan could finish, the Madam had already walked away without a single word of concern. Cui Lingrong had Nanny Qiu go keep an eye on things. "Have Qingshan help him change into clean clothes." Nanny Qiu asked, "Won't the Madam help the Marquis change?" In the past, such matters were always handled personally by the Madam. "The Marquis is drunk. Whether I change his clothes or Qingshan does, he won't know the difference." Thinking of Princess Rongjia's pregnancy, Cui Lingrong felt irritated just looking at Song Shulan and had no desire to wait on him. The next day, Song Shulan woke up in pain. When he heard from Qingshan that no one knew who had struck him, he kicked out at him. "Useless thing! Can't you even catch someone on the open street?" "Forgive me, Marquis. It was late at night, and I was worried about your injury, so I brought you back first." Qingshan hastily explained, then brought up the matter of Qiushuang Zhai. When Song Shulan learned that Cui Lingrong had only come for a brief look, he was stunned for a moment. Was she blaming him for neglecting her lately? During breakfast, he asked why he had slept in the side chamber. "The Marquis injured his head. I was afraid I might accidentally bump into it during the night, so I had Qingshan and Nanny Qiu settle you in the side chamber." Cui Lingrong held her bowl of congee and changed the subject. "How does the Marquis feel now? Should I have Qingshan request leave from your post?" Seeing that Cui Lingrong seemed less attentive to him than before, Song Shulan felt an indescribable sensation in his chest. "No need. The Ministry of Revenue is busiest at year's end; I need to be there." Since Song Shulan said it wasn't necessary, Cui Lingrong said no more. As Song Shulan left, he glanced at Cui Lingrong twice more. Seeing that she still saw him to the door as she always had, he silently breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed she still cared about him deep down. He would coax her again later. Song Shulan thought to himself. A few days passed, and Cui Lingrong brought gifts to visit Yuan Mingzhu. Upon arriving at the Jiang residence, she had to first pay respects to Old Madame Jiang. Cui Lingrong had always simply offered her greetings to Old Madame Jiang before taking her leave with Yuan Mingzhu. Today, however, Old Madame Jiang was in high spirits. She pulled Cui Lingrong into a lengthy conversation, even touching upon some matters concerning Princess Rongjia. Cui Lingrong responded with faint smiles throughout. It was only after Cui Lingrong and Yuan Mingzhu had left that Old Madame Jiang sighed. "That old woman of the Song family has good judgment indeed. Few could match Lady Cui's magnanimity. What a pity—why didn't I recognize how wonderful Lady Cui was back then?" She shook her head as she spoke. At least her own daughter-in-law had a good nature, or she would be so furious at being outdone by Old Madame Song that she couldn't sleep. Meanwhile, Cui Lingrong arrived at Yuan Mingzhu's courtyard. The two women talked inside the room while Nanny Qiu and Yuan Mingzhu's trusted aide drank tea and ate snacks outside. With no one else in the room, Cui Lingrong brought up the matter of the Duke of Dingguo's heir. Noticing that Yuan Mingzhu looked well, she was somewhat curious. "In the past, whenever you spoke of the Duke of Dingguo's heir, you would worry for your elder sister. Why do you seem so calm this time?" Yuan Mingzhu was never one to hold things in. "I was terribly worried for my sister too, but I saw her two days ago, and after hearing what she said, I stopped worrying." "My sister married the Duke of Dingguo's heir for the sake of a family alliance, even though his health was poor. But the heir was born with a deficiency—he cannot even fully perform his marital duties. That's why, after more than ten years married into the Duke of Dingguo's household, my sister has not borne a single child." "When there are no children, outsiders always blame the woman—never once do they say the man is at fault." "Marrying into the Duke of Dingguo's household, my sister enjoyed the glory of the ducal family, but only she knows the bitterness within." "She told me the other day that if not for my brother-in-law treating her with courtesy and respect, she would have sought a mutual divorce long ago. This time, my brother-in-law cannot hold on any longer, but my sister has already made up her mind—she will remarry. She absolutely will not spend her whole life as a widow in the ducal household." Cui Lingrong was astonished. "Will the Duke of Dingguo's family allow it?" "They'll have to, whether they like it or not. The Yuan family has gained some standing now. Besides, my brother-in-law knows he has wronged my sister, so he raised the matter with the Duke of Guo in advance." Yuan Mingzhu continued, "My sister said that without children of her own, any child adopted from the clan may not truly be raised as one's own. Even if raised to adulthood, it would all be in service to the Duke of Dingguo's household, and she would spend her entire life trapped in that great pit of the ducal mansion, without a single moment of happiness." Cui Lingrong listened, lost in thought. Yuan Mingzhu went on. "She also said that her parents raised her, and after all those years of sacrifice in the Duke of Dingguo's household, she has repaid her family's nurturing. Now she only wants to live for herself—to find a healthy man and live life to the fullest." As a woman herself, Yuan Mingzhu wholeheartedly agreed with her sister's view. Seeing Cui Lingrong frowning in contemplation, she smiled. "What's the matter? Do you think my sister's thinking is too unconventional?" Cui Lingrong shook her head. "I just didn't expect your sister to say that." She couldn't do the same herself, but upon learning that someone was willing to go all out, her first reaction was envy and happiness for that person. The Duke of Dingguo's mansion had a high threshold, but no matter how prestigious the family, what use was it if one was unhappy living there? "Oh, you really have changed. The old you would have said, 'Since you're already a daughter-in-law of the Duke's mansion, you should properly adopt a child and raise them well to maintain a good reputation.'" Yuan Mingzhu studied Cui Lingrong, leaning in closer. "Tell me the truth—are you really doing badly at the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion?" At their age, a person wouldn't change suddenly, especially someone as emotionally stable as Cui Lingrong. "Days pass the same way no matter what—how could it be bad?" Cui Lingrong smiled. "Don't lie to me. I've heard all about it—Princess Rongjia is pregnant, isn't she?" "Yes." From the moment she learned of Princess Rongjia's existence, Cui Lingrong had anticipated this day. "Even if she's pregnant, she still has to carry to term. And even if she gives birth, it has to be a son before it poses a threat to Xuan-ge and his brothers. And even if it is a son, by the time her child grows up, how old will my sons be?" Yuan Yuzhu said, "That's true." "I see things clearly now. Having money and power in hand is what matters most. Since my path isn't easy, I'll just walk the path I've chosen well." Cui Lingrong knew Yuan Mingzhu was worried about her, so she patted Yuan Mingzhu's hand. "I'm really fine. You must have heard about the autumn banquet—Princess Rongjia is no match for me. Old Madame was left with no choice and put me back in charge of the household." "You'd better be living as well as you claim." Yuan Mingzhu didn't fully believe Cui Lingrong, but it was Cui Lingrong's own life to live. She had said her piece and couldn't interfere too much. "Oh, right—there's something extremely confidential I want to tell you. I'm only telling you this, and you can't share it with anyone else, not even Marquis Song!" She leaned in with a gossipy air. "There's another reason my sister isn't staying at the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. Years ago, the Duke of Guo kept a concubine in a hidden residence. That concubine bore the Duke a son, but about a dozen years ago, the Duchess found out. She sent people to deal with the concubine. The concubine died, but the concubine's son escaped." Secrets like this truly weren't something ordinary people could know. Yuan Mingzhu grabbed Cui Lingrong's arm, chattering with relish. "My sister said that the Duke of Guo knows my brother-in-law is useless, so he's been searching for this concubine's son for years. According to the Duke's intentions, once he finds the boy, he wants him to inherit the Duke of Dingguo's estate." "But... how can that be? Would the Duchess agree?" Cui Lingrong asked. "She definitely won't agree, but what use is disagreeing? When the Duchess was young, she was famously jealous. That's why the Duke of Dingguo only has my brother-in-law as his sole son. Now that my brother-in-law is done for, and the Duke of Dingguo is too old to father more children, the Duke has already found the person who buried the concubine. He's close to finding the concubine's son. When that happens, the Duke of Dingguo's mansion will be even more chaotic than yours. So my sister figured she might as well remarry." Yuan Mingzhu raised an eyebrow with a smile as she spoke. "So? You never imagined something like this, did you?" Cui Lingrong admitted she hadn't. "I've met the Duke of Dingguo. He's very imposing and seems like a proper, upright man. I truly wouldn't have imagined he kept a hidden concubine." "You can know a person's face but not their heart. Don't blame me for saying something harsh—you never expected Marquis Song to take an Equal Wife either." Yuan Mingzhu couldn't hold back anything she wanted to say. "The Duke of Dingguo kept that concubine for ten years before being discovered—you can see how careful he was. And still the Duchess found out. That concubine's son had better pray the Duchess doesn't find him first, because she definitely won't let him off!" Cui Lingrong nodded in agreement. "That being the case, your sister leaving the Duke of Dingguo's mansion is a good thing." Otherwise, between an adopted child and a concubine's son—just thinking about it was a mountain of trouble. "Exactly." Yuan Mingzhu snorted. She had once hoped her brother-in-law would recover, or that her sister would have a child, so she'd have someone to rely on. Now she thought, it was better there were no children, so her sister wouldn't be tied down by them. The two chatted about many more things. Cui Lingrong stayed for lunch at Yuan Mingzhu's place before taking her leave. Yuan Mingzhu walked Cui Lingrong to the front gate. "If anything happens, you must tell me. Even if my old lady locks me up, I'll climb over the wall to help you, understand?" "Alright, alright—if anything comes up, I'll come to you." Cui Lingrong felt warmth in her heart. She walked to the door with Yuan Mingzhu and only then realized Cui Zeyu had been waiting for her all along. Yuan Mingzhu was fairly familiar with Cui Zeyu and said with a smile, "Why didn't you have someone announce your arrival? Afraid I can't spare an extra pair of chopsticks?" Cui Zeyu said it wasn't that. "I only just arrived. I figured you two had private things to discuss, and it would be inconvenient with me around. The fabric shop recently got some Loulan gauze, and I thought Sister Yuan would like it, so I already had some sent in." "You little rascal—you sure know how to please people." Yuan Mingzhu moved to pay, but Cui Zeyu quickly declined. She looked at Cui Zeyu standing in the sunlight—an open, easygoing figure—and suddenly felt a sense of familiarity about him.