Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Admitting Fault "Didn't Sister always worry about Yu-jie's marriage? General Xie is a good choice." Cui Zeyu enumerated Xie Yunting's merits, "He's righteous and capable. The residence he lives in was bestowed by the Emperor, and he doesn't even need to submit a tablet to enter the palace. What honor is that?" "Besides, Princess Rongjia is watching covetously. If you have a formidable son-in-law, see if Song Shulan still dares to look down on you!" Cui Lingrong had never considered this. Xie Yunting called her "Sister," and she had always regarded him as someone of the same generation. She was somewhat conflicted. "General Xie and Yu-jie are too far apart in age. Yu-jie needs at least two more years before she can marry. Can General Xie wait that long?" Xie Yunting was twenty-two this year. In two more years, he'd be twenty-four. At that age, others already had children. Cui Zeyu thought of Xie Yunting's complaints last night—Xie Yunting truly might not be able to wait. He couldn't help but worry. "I do think General Xie is a good choice, but I hadn't thought that far ahead." "Let's see what fate brings. Yu-jie is still young; she doesn't even know what kind of person she likes. If there's a destined connection, there might still be a chance in two years." Her daughter was not someone who needed to worry about marriage; there was no need to rush to curry favor with the powerful. Cui Zeyu said yes. Today happened to be Song Shulan's day off. When he arrived at Qiushuang Zhai, he heard Cui Zeyu's laughter. He was annoyed just seeing Cui Zeyu. Upon entering the room, he directly ignored Cui Zeyu and instead brought up the matter Lord Qin had asked him to help with. "I met Lord Qin yesterday. He knows you're close with the Yuan sisters and wants you to persuade Elder Yuan Shi. If she stays at the Duke of Dingguo's estate, she'll enjoy a lifetime of wealth and honor that never ends." "Oh? Sister Yuan doesn't plan to stay at the Duke of Dingguo's estate?" Cui Lingrong pretended not to know Yuan Yuzhu's intentions. Song Shulan was surprised. "You didn't know?" "Has the Marquis forgotten? My bosom friend is Mingzhu, not Sister Yuan. Where did Lord Qin say Sister Yuan is going?" Cui Lingrong pressed on. Song Shulan thought about it. It was true that Cui Lingrong didn't visit the Duke of Dingguo's estate often. Perhaps others saw Cui Lingrong frequently together with the Yuan sisters and mistakenly assumed she was close with both. But he had already promised Lord Qin, so he had to continue. "Elder Yuan Shi has thoughts of remarrying, but she's not young anymore. At this age, what kind of family could she marry into? And among the noble houses in Bianjing, who would dare to marry her? Rather than marrying into some small, humble household, it's better to stay at the Duke of Dingguo's estate. With the Duchess of Dingguo there, it's possible to have a Gaoming title requested for her." Song Shulan also didn't understand Elder Yuan Shi's thinking. Half her life had already passed—why make such a fuss? In his view, Elder Yuan Shi probably already had a lover. He had originally wanted to probe Cui Lingrong for information, but it turned out she said she wasn't close with her. "The Marquis makes a good point," Cui Lingrong said. "But this matter isn't something we should meddle in. We're not familiar with the Duke of Dingguo's estate to begin with. If we anger Sister Yuan and she takes it out on the Duchess of Dingguo, wouldn't we end up disliked by both sides?" She felt the Duchess of Dingguo was grasping at straws in her desperation. Who would dare speak of such private matters to others? Song Shulan was troubled. "But I already told Lord Qin I would help." "The Marquis can simply tell Lord Qin the truth next time you see him. I have self-awareness; I don't have the ability to persuade Sister Yuan to change her mind." Cui Lingrong said. Cui Zeyu also chimed in, "That's right. If she wants to remarry, let her remarry. Why should we meddle in other people's business?" Song Shulan clicked his tongue and frowned at Cui Zeyu. "Indeed, it's best to mind one's own business. But since your surname is Cui, I'll say this much—stay away from Xie Yunting. He acts erratically and will eventually fall into a pit. Don't end up dead without even knowing how you died!" "Thank you for the Marquis's concern. I'm a person of low worth anyway. As they say, calamities spare the wicked for a thousand years, so I imagine I'll live a long life. General Xie treats me like a brother, and I won't do anything to betray that trust." Cui Zeyu had honed his silver tongue over years of doing business, and his words made Song Shulan's face darken. Song Shulan thought of how Xie Yunting had eaten and drunk gluttonously yesterday and felt disgusted. He stood up and said, "I can't control what you do. But you're grown now—stop coming to the inner courtyard so often. A grown son should keep his distance from his mother, let alone you, an adopted brother!" The words "adopted brother" were spoken with particular emphasis. He wasn't misunderstanding that Cui Zeyu and Cui Lingrong had anything improper going on, because he knew Cui Lingrong would never do anything to overstep. Song Shulan simply disliked Cui Zeyu and didn't want him coming to see Cui Lingrong. After Song Shulan left, Cui Zeyu still hadn't snapped out of it. He was thinking—where had Song Shulan seen through his intentions? It wasn't until his sister called him several times that he said blankly, "What did Sister say?" "I said don't listen to him. He was holding in anger from having to socialize with General Xie yesterday, so he said those things." Cui Lingrong was afraid her brother might be sensitive about it. Cui Zeyu was still pondering whether Song Shulan had noticed something, and his smile was strained. "Alright, I won't listen to him." "Mm. As for the matter between General Xie and Yu-jie, don't mention it to anyone else. Nothing is set in stone yet, and I don't want it to affect Yu-jie's reputation." Cui Lingrong cautioned. Cui Zeyu said he understood. Even after he left Qiushuang Zhai, his heart was still racing. He couldn't figure out—how had Song Shulan seen through him? Was he being too obvious? But he had been very restrained. Cui Zeyu was lost in thought and didn't notice the others in the distance. Chen De's Wife withdrew her gaze and asked her mistress, "Is that the eldest young mistress's adopted younger brother?" "It's him." Speaking of Cui Zeyu, Princess Rongjia gnashed her teeth in hatred. If it weren't for Cui Zeyu bringing Xie Yunting along to ruin her plans, why would she need to be so careful in front of Master Song? "The eldest young mistress has no skill in managing things herself—her money all comes from Cui Zeyu." Chen De's Wife immediately had an idea. "Princess, as the year draws to a close, many households will be cutting winter clothes. Shouldn't we introduce some business to Cui Zeyu?" Princess Rongjia thought for a moment before understanding Chen De's Wife's meaning. "You've reminded me. If Cui Lingrong loses her source of income, let's see how she maintains her current lifestyle!" Princess Rongjia knew all too well what it was like to have no money. As it happened, in a few days it would be her niece's birthday, and many noble ladies would be coming to the Rong Prince Mansion. While Princess Rongjia was forming her plan, on the other side, Cui Lingrong hadn't expected Lady Wu to send her a formal invitation specifically. "The Rong Prince Mansion and the Marquis's household are related by marriage, so sending an invitation to the Marquis's household is normal. But for the Hereditary Princess to send one specifically to you is truly puzzling. Eldest Young Mistress, will you go?" Nanny Qiu feared it might be a trap. Cui Lingrong was also torn. "If it weren't for this invitation, I could simply not go, but since the Hereditary Princess specifically invited me, if I don't go, I'm afraid the Rong Prince Mansion will use it against me. I'll go after all—with so many people there, they can't possibly do anything to me." Moreover, Wang Shanxi's Wife's testimony was still in Cui Lingrong's hands. If the Rong Prince Mansion didn't want to burn all bridges, they'd be wise not to provoke her. As for the Rong Prince Mansion's banquet, Song Shulan naturally had to attend. On the day of the banquet, Cui Lingrong and the others arrived at the mansion gate one after another. There were two carriages in total, with two people per carriage. Who would Song Shulan ride with? It wasn't that Cui Lingrong wanted to share a carriage with Song Shulan—it was that she delighted in watching Song Shulan's troubled expression, as well as Princess Rongjia's desperate attempts to please him. "Master Song, today is my niece's birthday, and many people are watching." Princess Rongjia stood close to Song Shulan. She didn't want to ride alone in a carriage—how embarrassing would that be? Cui Lingrong added, "Indeed, the Rong Prince Mansion's banquet must draw a great crowd." Song Shulan looked back in distress. Since Cui Lingrong was also his legitimate wife, if he rode with Princess Rongjia while leaving Cui Lingrong aside, it would easily invite gossip. In the end, Song Shulan decided to ride alone in one carriage, letting Cui Lingrong and Princess Rongjia share the other. Once in the carriage, Cui Lingrong noticed Princess Rongjia staring at her. She smiled and complimented, "The Princess has a fine complexion." Princess Rongjia was puzzled and replied, "Sister Cui is the one with rosy, glowing skin. My mother even praised your looks—you don't look at all like a woman nearing thirty. But you have fine lines between your brows; you must be worrying too much. That won't do—you'll age quickly." "I can't help but worry. After all, I have three children to tend to, and I still have to manage the Marquis's household affairs." Cui Lingrong lowered her head with a soft laugh. "I'm not as carefree as the Princess. You'll understand once you have children of your own. Next time you're unsure about something, you can send someone to ask me—I have experience with childbirth." With those words, Princess Rongjia's face turned as dark as iron. Cui Lingrong was in quite a good mood. Sister Cui had told her that one shouldn't be too good-natured in life—sometimes, by being a bit bolder, the outcome isn't necessarily bad. Just like now: Princess Rongjia wanted to mock her age, so she brought up children. After all, Princess Rongjia must be longing for a child. Cui Lingrong curved her lips into a faint smile. The two women said no more until the carriage stopped at the Rong Prince Mansion's gate. She stepped down from the carriage first and saw Song Shulan waiting by the mounting stool. She deliberately extended her hand for Song Shulan to help her down. At that moment, many guests had arrived at the Rong Prince Mansion's gate—some who knew Song Shulan, and some who didn't. But they had all heard of the Emperor's marriage decree for Song Shulan, and everyone turned to look. Seeing Song Shulan helping a woman with delicate, refined features, someone asked those nearby, "This lady is beautiful and carries herself with extraordinary grace—is she the new Princess Rongjia that Marquis Song married?" After all, they had all heard that Marquis Song's original wife came from a humble background and couldn't possibly possess such bearing. Moreover, since today was the Rong Prince Mansion's banquet, the one Marquis Song brought should be Princess Rongjia.