Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Loss of a Son Cui Lingrong had anticipated there would be discontent, but she did not care about the opinions of Madame Jiang and the others. She was truly exhausted today and retired early. Early the next morning, someone arrived with news of a death—the heir of the Duke of Dingguo had passed away. Cui Lingrong hurriedly gathered her people and went to the Old Madame's residence. The Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion and the Duke of Dingguo's estate were not particularly close, but their ancestors had once been connected by marriage, so the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion was obligated to send someone to pay their respects. Upon hearing the news, Old Madame Song was momentarily stunned, then sighed, "The hardest thing in this world is for the gray-haired to send off the black-haired. Come with me—let's go see the old Duke and Duchess first." With that, she instructed Mama Xu to go to Wutong Court, "By rights, the Commandery Princess should go as well, but she hasn't reached three months yet. On the day of the funeral procession, let the Commandery Princess go then." Mama Xu nodded in agreement. Old Madame Song led Cui Lingrong toward the Duke of Dingguo's estate. The Duke of Dingguo's household was illustrious, and by the time they arrived, carriages lined up in a long queue at the gate. Cui Lingrong supported the Old Madame as they entered the estate. She had only been to the Duke of Dingguo's residence twice, both times accompanying Yuan Mingzhu, so she was not familiar with the place. Following a servant to see the Duchess, Old Madame Song and the Duchess of Dingguo began to weep together. Cui Lingrong stood to the side, using her peripheral vision to look for the heir's wife. But before she spotted the heir's wife, she saw Old Madame Jiang arriving with Yuan Mingzhu. When Old Madame Jiang caught sight of Old Madame Song, her brows immediately sharpened. After exchanging greetings, Yuan Mingzhu naturally moved to stand beside Cui Lingrong and whispered, "Don't worry, they won't be able to quarrel today." Nor would they dare. She said she wanted to go see her elder sister and pulled Cui Lingrong along with her. At the mourning hall, Yuan Yuzhu looked haggard. Seeing her younger sister arrive, she quickly told her to slow down. Cui Lingrong bowed to the heir's wife. "My lady, please accept my condolences." "Ah." A single sigh conveyed all her heartache. Yuan Yuzhu had already cried several times, and her eyes were sore and swollen. "Thank goodness Marchioness Song is accompanying my sister—with her reckless temperament, I was truly afraid she might offend some noble person." She mentioned that this morning, not only had Prince Rong come, but even the Grand Princess had arrived. Cui Lingrong knew the Duke of Dingguo's household held high status, but she hadn't expected them to receive such attention. She didn't pay much mind to court affairs and was unclear on some matters, so she planned to ask the Marquis about it later. The three of them had barely exchanged a few words when Yuan Yuzhu was called away. Yuan Mingzhu opened her mouth several times as if to speak, but swallowed her words each time. With so many people around today, the Duke of Dingguo's estate was hardly the place for conversation. As the two of them were about to return to their respective mothers-in-law, they overheard several ladies and young misses chatting idly in a pavilion. "Tell me, now that the heir is gone, what will the Duke of Dingguo's household do without an heir?" "That goes without saying—they'll certainly adopt a child from the clan. Otherwise, wouldn't it be a pity for such a grand household to have no one to inherit it?" "What if the heir's wife remarries?" "Impossible—how old is she now? Some women her age are already marrying off their daughters. Would she have the nerve? Even if she did, what family would be willing to marry a woman who's widowed her husband?" "True enough. The heir's wife is no longer young. Rather than remarry, she'd do better to preserve the dignity of the Duke's household and earn herself a chastity arch to honor..." Before the woman could finish, Yuan Mingzhu charged out first. Cui Lingrong couldn't hold her back. "Who said she widowed her husband?" Yuan Mingzhu had a fiery temper. Her elder sister was pitiful enough without being gossiped about. She swept her gaze over the crowd. "Who said it?" Seeing that no one dared answer, Yuan Mingzhu said furiously, "You dare to say it but not own up to it. I think you're all a bunch of turtles hiding in your shells—too low-class to show your faces!" She cursed everyone in sight. Those who feared trouble quickly protested, "That has nothing to do with me! I never said a word. You can't lump everyone in together." "Then if you just listened without speaking up in her defense, either you agree with them in your heart, or you're a coward!" Yuan Mingzhu rolled up her sleeves, looking ready to start a fight. Seeing that Yuan Mingzhu was still as fierce as she'd been in childhood, Cui Lingrong hurried over and grabbed her hand. "Dear sister, this is the Duke of Dingguo's estate, not the Jiang family. Whoever among them said such heartless things, we can surely find out. If you make a scene here, how will your sister hold her head up?" There were many people present. They might not dare to point fingers now, but if questioned one by one in private, they could eventually get to the bottom of it. With so many people coming and going today, if Yuan Mingzhu truly caused a scene here, Old Madame Jiang would likely confine her for a year or more afterward. Yuan Mingzhu was furious, feeling wronged on her sister's behalf. "My sister married into the Duke of Dingguo's household at sixteen, caring for her ailing husband and managing all the affairs of the estate, high and low. Who hasn't praised her virtue? Let me tell you all—if I hear a single word against my sister again, I'll tear their mouths apart!" With that declaration, she turned and left. Cui Lingrong swept her gaze over the people in the pavilion, her eyes finally landing on Su Yunfei, before she went after Yuan Mingzhu. Of course, Yuan Mingzhu wasn't about to let the matter rest. She found the Duchess of Dingguo and knelt directly before her to confess. "Duchess, punish me. I truly couldn't hold back and cursed those people. Whether you beat me or fine me, I'll accept it as your junior. But I beg you to seek justice for my sister—find out which venomous woman spoke ill of her!" She knelt with her back perfectly straight, and everyone present was stunned. Old Madame Jiang's brows twitched violently. When she had chosen her second daughter-in-law, she had thought that since this wasn't for the position of matriarch of the clan, the requirements didn't need to be too high—as long as her son liked the girl and the family background was acceptable. She hadn't been optimistic about Yuan Mingzhu initially, but the Yuan family was connected to the Duke of Dingguo's household by marriage. It was because of that connection that her second son had been introduced to Yuan Mingzhu. In the end, her second son had taken a liking to Yuan Mingzhu, the most headstrong of them all. What place was this? This was the Duke of Dingguo's residence! Everyone attending the mourning today was either wealthy or noble, and Yuan Mingzhu had actually cursed someone in public—where was the Jiang family's face supposed to go? Old Madame Jiang's hands clenched tightly within her sleeves. Across from her, Old Madame Song looked somewhat smug. Comparing daughter-in-law to daughter-in-law, Old Madame Song felt her own daughter-in-law was far superior. Then she saw Cui Lingrong kneel down as well. As a close friend, Cui Lingrong naturally had to help Yuan Mingzhu. "Please understand, Duchess. The young heir has just passed away, and Sister Mingzhu grieves just as deeply as you do. How could she bear to hear others gossiping about the young heir's widow? She was a bit impulsive, but it's understandable." Compared to the blunt Yuan Mingzhu, Cui Lingrong was far more eloquent. Her words reminded the Duchess of the pain of losing a son, and the Duchess's face immediately darkened. She had only one son, and today was still his mourning period—how could anyone accept people gossiping about such matters in the Duke's residence? "Good girls, all of you, rise." The Duchess ordered someone to investigate. "I want to see who this ignorant person is, daring to spread rumors about the people of the Duke of Dingguo's household!" At these words, everyone present knew this matter would not end easily. Just then, an old maidservant entered and whispered a few words into the Duchess's ear. The Duchess glanced at Old Madame Song, then said, "Mingzhu, rest assured, I will definitely give your sister an explanation. But today is busy, and I... my heart is heavy..." The Duchess choked up and could no longer speak. Her only son had passed away without leaving an heir, and this vast ducal residence would fall into someone else's hands. The thought filled her with hatred. She wept for a good while before being helped inside by her maidservants. Old Madame Jiang and the others were expected to take their leave as well. Only when Yuan Mingzhu met her mother-in-law's gaze did she feel a flicker of fear. She cautiously called out, "Mother," but in her heart, she felt no regret. Old Madame Jiang suppressed her anger, planning to deal with her second daughter-in-law once they returned home. She boarded the carriage without a word. On the other side, Cui Lingrong also boarded the carriage back to the residence with Old Madame Song. Old Madame Song's face was grim. "I told you long ago not to associate with that Yuan woman, but you wouldn't listen. What you lost today isn't just your own face—it's the face of our Marquis's household!" Cui Lingrong lowered her eyes and said, "Rest assured, Old Madame, not many people will speak ill of Sister Yuan over today's events. When one's own sister is being called a widow who brings bad luck, if Sister Yuan had swallowed her anger, that would have been what people talked about instead." She paused, then reminded in a low voice, "However, regarding today's matter, Old Madame had best pay a visit to the Su family." "What does the Su family have to do with this?" Old Madame Song looked over, puzzled. "In the pavilion, I recognized the voice as Second Miss Su's. If I hadn't pulled Sister Yuan away, given her temperament, she would have insisted on seeing things through to a conclusion. Just now at the Duke of Dingguo's residence, the Duchess initially wanted to get to the bottom of it, but only after someone whispered in her ear did she refrain from making a scene on the spot. Still, the Duchess has lost her only son and is deeply grieved. If the Su family cannot appease the Duke of Dingguo's household and the Yuan family, Second Miss Su will likely have difficulty marrying into a good family." Cui Lingrong finished speaking calmly. The more Old Madame Song listened, the faster her brows twitched. "Such a big matter—why are you only telling me now!" She ordered the coachman to turn the carriage around; she needed to go to her natal family's home. Cui Lingrong wanted to return to the Marquis's residence first, but Old Madame Song grabbed her arm. "You're the most resourceful—come with me to the Su family!"