Chapter 58

Chapter 58: With Child When one person praised her, others followed suit. Those who could attend the banquet all had decent relations with the Rong Prince Mansion, and Commandery Princess Rongjia had been away from Bianjing for many years—most of the younger generation didn't even know her. "Marquis Song and the Commandery Princess are truly devoted to each other." "That's only natural. The Commandery Princess is stunningly beautiful—who wouldn't love her?" ... But soon, those who recognized Cui Lingrong spoke up. "You've got the wrong person. The one Marquis Song is holding is his first wife, not Commandery Princess Rongjia. Don't say such things carelessly—someone might hear you." "How could she be the first wife? I heard Marquis Song's first wife came from a humble background, but this woman looks noble and composed—very dignified!" "She's been the mistress of a marquis household for over a decade. Even the most petty person would develop some bearing in that position. If you haven't seen much of the world, keep your mouth shut." ... Every word fell into the ears of Cui Lingrong and her party. Cui Lingrong remained composed, while Song Shulan merely furrowed his brow. Commandery Princess Rongjia, still inside the carriage, felt deeply embarrassed. If she stepped out now, she would inevitably be compared to Cui Lingrong. Those people had just praised Cui Lingrong to the heavens—who knew what they'd say about her? And they'd even said Cui Lingrong and Song Shulan were devoted to each other? Then what did that make her? The Commandery Princess delayed her appearance, until Song Shulan came to urge her. "Princess, if you don't come out soon, you'll block the people behind us." The Commandery Princess had no choice but to emerge, with Song Shulan supporting her. With one on each side—Cui Lingrong and Commandery Princess Rongjia were both attractive, one cool and noble, the other alluring and graceful—everyone's first thought was that Song Shulan was a fortunate man. Only after the Commandery Princess entered the Rong Prince Mansion did someone whisper, "I think the first wife has more presence. The Commandery Princess seems more like..." He didn't dare say it aloud, but in his heart he thought: a concubine—seductive and flirtatious, not the least bit dignified. The guests filed into the Rong Prince Mansion one after another. This was Cui Lingrong's first visit. She held to the principle that as long as she didn't stray from the crowd, she'd be fine. After greeting the hosts, she looked for a place to sit, but Lady Wu pulled her aside to talk. "Where's Yu-jie? Why didn't you bring her?" Lady Wu glanced behind Cui Lingrong. "I was thinking she and Yu-jie are about the same age and would get along well. I wanted to introduce them." Cui Lingrong had to be on guard everywhere herself—there was no way she'd bring Yu-jie here. But since Lady Wu asked, she couldn't tell the truth. "Yu-jie isn't feeling well, so I had her rest at home." "What a shame. My Yu-jie has so few friends; I was hoping she could gain one more." Lady Wu was very warm toward Cui Lingrong and showed no sign of letting her go. "It's just a small birthday, and the family wasn't planning to host a banquet. But the heir dotes on Yu-jie and said that as the eldest daughter, she deserves to be thoroughly spoiled." For most families, such a minor birthday would at most be a gathering of close relatives. But today, the Rong Prince Mansion's spread was lavish, extending from the front hall all the way into the garden. Just then, Cui Lingrong spotted Yuan Mingzhu arriving and quickly found an excuse to go keep her company. Yuan Mingzhu hadn't originally planned to come, but she thought the Rong Prince Mansion would send an invitation to the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, and if Cui Lingrong happened to attend, she wanted to be there too. So she'd begged her mother-in-law to bring her. "You actually came? I thought you wouldn't." "I had no choice. The heir's wife sent me a formal invitation—I couldn't refuse." Cui Lingrong said. "I saw how warmly she treated you just now. When did you two become so close?" Yuan Mingzhu felt a pang of jealousy. "Let me make this clear: you can't be better friends with her just because she has a higher status. I'm your best friend, and no one else!" Cui Lingrong laughed. "You're a grown woman, and you still say things like that." Sitting with her dear friend, Cui Lingrong felt much more at ease. When she heard that the Jiang family had also taken an interest in Xie Yunting, she was surprised. "Is General Xie really that sought after?" "Not exactly. Many scholarly families look down on him. But my husband's family is military—it's a mutual respect between military men that made them take a liking to General Xie." Yuan Mingzhu glanced around, then lowered her voice. "Let me tell you in secret: Fang-jie doesn't want it. She even threatened to hang herself. But my father-in-law is adamant. He says marriage is decided by one's parents and arranged through a matchmaker—it's not up to Fang-jie to refuse. He's already sent for an official matchmaker." Cui Lingrong disapproved of forcing a marriage. "Even if it's decided by the parents, the younger generation has to agree. Otherwise, she'll marry with resentment in her heart, and life won't be good for her." "Who says otherwise? But Fang-jie isn't my daughter. If she were, and she didn't want to marry, I would never agree!" At this point, Yuan Mingzhu remembered Cui Lingrong had just used the words "sought after" and quickly asked what that was about. Cui Lingrong then explained her younger brother's idea. "Yu-jie is still too young. I want to keep her for another two or three years, so I haven't mentioned it to the Marquis." Even if she did mention it to Song Shulan, he would absolutely never agree to having Xie Yunting as his son-in-law—it would make him sick. "True, Yu-jie is still young. If there's no suitable match, why not keep Yu-jie for a few more years and give her to my..." "Enough. Your son is much younger than her, and I won't have Yu-jie called an old maid." Cui Lingrong cut her off with a laugh. She and Yuan Mingzhu got along well, so if Yu-jie were to marry into the Jiang family, it would naturally be a good thing. Unfortunately, the ages didn't match—by the time Yuan Mingzhu's son grew up, Yu-jie would already be over twenty. "Ah, I'm just saying. Blame my useless belly—I was married only a year after you, yet I had children so much later." Yuan Mingzhu said, patting her stomach. "Let me tell you quietly, I'm pregnant again." "Really?" Yuan Mingzhu nodded in confirmation. "The first two were both boys, and I've always wanted a girl. A few days ago I felt terribly fatigued, and my monthly hadn't come, so I finally called a doctor—almost two months along." "You really are careless, how could you let it go so long before noticing?" Cui Lingrong was delighted. "Since you're pregnant, why did you come to the banquet at all?" "I was worried you'd be here without support, so I asked my mother-in-law to bring me along." Yuan Mingzhu said it was fine. "I'm in good health, don't worry about me. Oh, isn't that... Xuan-ge and his brother?" From a distance, Yuan Mingzhu spotted two small figures. Cui Lingrong looked over as well and recognized her two sons at a glance. Today wasn't the first or fifteenth of the month, so the Guozijian wouldn't be on holiday—why had they come to the Rong Prince Mansion? Cui Lingrong immediately sent Nanny Qiu to bring her two sons over. "If you didn't summon them, could it be that your Marquis Song had them brought?" Yuan Mingzhu asked. Cui Lingrong frowned deeply. If it was Song Shulan, she'd have to go find him. After a moment, Nanny Qiu returned alone. "The Marquis said that Prince Rong requested leave for the two young masters. Since they're here, the Marquis is taking them to broaden their horizons, and asks the young madam not to worry." Men and women were seated separately, so Cui Lingrong couldn't reach the men's side. Prince Rong's intention—wasn't that Princess Rongjia's idea? What was Princess Rongjia trying to do? Cui Lingrong didn't believe Princess Rongjia genuinely wanted what was best for Xuan-ge and his brother. If something like what happened with Yu-jie occurred again—and this was the Rong Prince Mansion—how would she handle it? Her thoughts churned, and Cui Lingrong grew increasingly anxious. Just then, a nanny from Lady Wu's side came looking for her. "The Hereditary Princess learned that the two young masters of the Marquis Mansion had arrived and specially sent people to attend to them. Please rest assured, Marchioness Song—this household is under the Hereditary Princess's management, and no one can do anything under her watch." Yuan Mingzhu couldn't hold back and asked directly, "I can't figure it out—what does your Hereditary Princess mean by this? And what does Princess Rongjia mean?" "Second Madam Jiang need not doubt the Hereditary Princess's intentions. Some matters are not easy to explain openly. But please rest assured, the Hereditary Princess harbors no ill will." With that, she left. Yuan Mingzhu called over a servant and asked her husband to keep an eye on things as well. She urged Cui Lingrong to relax a little. "Since the Hereditary Princess said so, let's trust her this once. She's right—she's the one managing the Rong Prince Mansion. If anything happened, she'd bear the responsibility!" "Mingzhu, there's one thing I've never been able to figure out—Princess Rongjia keeps getting close to Xuan-ge and his brother. Why is she doing this?" Cui Lingrong couldn't understand. "She'll have her own children eventually. Why bother with Xuan-ge and his brother?" Yuan Mingzhu instinctively replied, "That's not necessarily true—she married into the Du family for so many years and never had a child. Who's to say she'll be able to conceive after marrying into the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion either?"