Chapter 66

Chapter 66: Jealousy Cui Zeyu was visibly pushed aside and shot an unhappy glance at Song Shulan. "Brother-in-law, I thought you weren't coming." "I promised your sister yesterday—didn't she tell you?" Song Shulan found the space a bit cramped and gestured for Cui Zeyu to move further to the side. Cui Zeyu didn't budge, and instead Cui Lingrong went to speak with others. Song Shulan had nothing to say to Cui Zeyu, so after a moment he went back to Cui Lingrong's side and asked where he should sit. "The Marquis's seat has been kept for you. I'll have Caixia take you there." No sooner had Cui Lingrong finished speaking than Song Shulan asked her to come along. She declined. "That's the men's side—how could I go over there?" Song Shulan thought about it and realized she was right, so he reluctantly followed Caixia over. It wasn't until he took his seat that he noticed Xie Yunting was also there. The two men met, and neither wanted to give the other a pleasant expression. Xie Yunting's first words were mocking: "I thought Marquis Song looked down on merchants and wouldn't bother to show up." "And yet here I am." "Indeed—arriving halfway through the feast. What an honor you've done us." With that, Xie Yunting raised his cup and drank with the others, ignoring Song Shulan entirely. There were merchants at the table who wanted to curry favor with Song Shulan, but he looked down on merchants to his very core. He casually picked at his food with his chopsticks a couple of times, then rose to go find Cui Lingrong. At that moment, Cui Lingrong was chatting with Yuan Mingzhu. They rarely had the chance to see each other, so days like this were the only time they could catch up. "When I heard that General Xie had gotten engaged, my father-in-law was furious for a long time, saying it was a waste that Old Man Qin got him." Yuan Mingzhu found it amusing. "In his eyes, General Xie was a prized catch. Now that he's off the market, he's told the eldest branch to find a match for Fang-jie themselves—he's washing his hands of it." Cui Lingrong asked, "So where does your eldest sister-in-law want to marry Fang-jie off to?" "I heard she's also trying to latch onto the Qin family. The question is whether the Qins will give her that face." Yuan Mingzhu said, patting her belly. "I'm definitely having a daughter this time—no symptoms at all. She's being very considerate." "That's not necessarily true. When I was carrying Yu-jie, I was miserable for a long time." "Pah, pah, pah—if I have another son, you'll have to give me Yu-jie as compensation!" Yuan Mingzhu already had two sons, but she still wanted a daughter. The two sisters chatted and laughed, and eventually the conversation turned to Yuan Yuzhu's situation. "The Duchess of Dingguo has burned bridges with my sister and is putting pressure on the Yuan family, forcing my sister to stay in the Duke of Dingguo's mansion." "Then what can she do?" The Qin family was powerful, and now that they were allied with Xie Yunting through marriage, the Duchess of Dingguo had even more leverage. Cui Lingrong couldn't help but worry. "If the Duchess secretly schemes against her and ruins her reputation, even if she goes to Suzhou, she'll have a hard time remarrying." Yuan Mingzhu snorted coldly. "She wouldn't dare. My sister hasn't spent all these years in the Duke of Dingguo's mansion for nothing. The Duchess's hands aren't clean either. If she won't let my sister have peace, then it's mutual destruction—we'll all go down together." As they were talking, Yuan Mingzhu noticed Song Shulan approaching. She now thoroughly disliked Song Shulan, so she naturally let her smile fade. "Congratulations, Marquis Song. I hear you're going to be a father again." Song Shulan glanced at Cui Lingrong, then smiled at Yuan Mingzhu and said he needed to head back. "Leaving so soon?" Cui Lingrong stood up. "Well, that makes sense—the Marquis has important affairs to attend to. You go on ahead." Song Shulan didn't move. His meaning was that Cui Lingrong should come with him. Cui Lingrong pretended not to understand his intent. "I'm Zeyu's sister. I need to wait until the guests have all left before I return to the Marquis's residence. If the Marquis has matters to attend to, go ahead—I understand." The more magnanimous she was, the worse Song Shulan felt inside. When he returned to the Marquis's residence, he happened to run into his younger brother. He called the boy into the study and gave him a thorough scolding. "At the very least, you should show some ambition. How can the Marquis's household be sustained on my shoulders alone?" "Big brother, I'm trying my best." Song Shucheng was unconcerned, grinning cheekily. "But I know my limits. I don't have the talent to rise in rank or make a fortune. This is just how I'll be for the rest of my life. Don't bother with me. As long as you work hard and get ahead, I'll just bask in your glory—same thing." "Nonsense!" Song Shulan slammed the table in anger. "Look at what you've become—obsessed with women and pleasure all day long. If you keep up this idleness, I'll tell Mother to cut off every penny you have. Let's see how you eat, drink, and amuse yourself then!" "Don't, big brother! What's gotten into you today?" Only then did Song Shucheng realize his brother was in a bad mood. He'd walked right into his brother's anger—just his rotten luck. "I'm talking about you—why are you asking about me?" Song Shulan truly wished his younger brother would show some ambition. Only if the two brothers supported each other could they advance further. "I'm warning you seriously: don't cause me any trouble, or I'll really make you live a hard life!" Song Shucheng looked miserable, then suddenly remembered that Madame Jiang had told him today was Cui Zeyu's housewarming banquet. Could it be that his brother had gone to Cui Zeyu's place? He ventured a guess. "Big brother, did you get upset at Cui Zeyu's place?" "Who does he think he is? Would he dare give me grief?" Song Shulan said irritably. Seeing his brother like this, Song Shucheng mustered his courage and pressed on. "Could it be sister-in-law? That doesn't make sense—she defers to you in everything. She has such a good temper and never argues with you. How could she make you this angry?" Song Shulan clicked his tongue. "You're a grown man, yet you gossip like an old woman. Get out of here and go reflect on yourself properly. Don't stand here getting on my nerves!" Hearing this, Song Shucheng scurried away, afraid his elder brother might scold him further. Back at the second branch's residence, Song Shucheng complained to Madame Jiang about his brother's behavior. "He's in a bad mood himself, so he takes it out on me. But he came back so early, and alone at that—do you think Sister-in-law had a falling out with him?" "Impossible. Sister-in-law is someone who wouldn't argue with you even if the sky fell down, let alone fight with Brother." Madame Jiang thought for a moment. "It should be that Brother himself is feeling uncomfortable about something." "What do you mean?" "Haven't you noticed? Ever since Princess Rongjia married into the family, Sister-in-law hasn't been as attentive and affectionate toward Brother as before?" Song Shucheng nodded thoughtfully. "I understand now. Sister-in-law would rather busy herself managing Cui Zeyu's new residence than show Brother any care or concern. He's feeling jealous." At this, Song Shucheng burst out laughing. "He's thinking too wishfully. He married an Equal Wife, and still expects Sister-in-law to treat him the same as before? How could that possibly happen?" Madame Jiang nodded in agreement. If Song Shucheng ever took an Equal Wife, she'd fight him with a knife, let alone fawn over him. "Indeed, it's still Brother who's the greediest—wanting to have his cake and eat it too. Unlike me, I know very well in my heart that no matter how I fool around outside, you, my dear wife, are the most important." Song Shucheng said as he sidled up to Madame Jiang. Lately, Madame Jiang had learned to soften her stance, and he found it quite agreeable. Madame Jiang chided him, "You... you're shameless!" "What use do I have for that? All I want in this life is to die among the peonies." As he spoke, he began undressing Madame Jiang, his hand finding soft flesh. "It's still daytime!" Madame Jiang half-resisted, half-yielded to Song Shucheng. She no longer clashed head-on with him. The physician said her body could still be regulated, and it would be best if she conceived a child herself. Meanwhile, Song Shulan was feeling quite dejected. He went to Fanlou Tavern to drink, and coincidentally ran into his good friend Gao Jingzhi. After a few cups of wine, Song Shulan complained to Gao Jingzhi, "Lady Cui treats me far worse than before. She seems to offer care and greetings, but in truth, I'm no longer her priority. Today I went to the Cui residence, and she didn't even say a word about my hard work. Tell me, is she sulking with me, waiting for me to coax her?" Gao Jingzhi had known Song Shulan since childhood—they were classmates and now colleagues, with a close relationship. Seeing Song Shulan drinking and complaining, he knew Song Shulan still had Lady Cui in his heart, so he advised, "If that's the case, then why not coax her a little?" "I already did! I even gave her land and property—it's she who's become petty!" Song Shulan said indignantly. He'd already done that much. Did Cui Lingrong expect him to keep lowering himself endlessly? How could that be! "To be honest, you suddenly taking an Equal Wife is bound to chill Sister-in-law's heart. Ever since she returned from mourning, you still expect her to be the same as before—how could that be possible?" Gao Jingzhi shook his head as he spoke. Every family has its own troubles. "You'd better watch out. If you keep this up, Sister-in-law might not want you anymore, and then it'll be too late for regrets." "Not want me? That's absolutely impossible!" Song Shulan said confidently. "We've been married for over a decade and raised three children together. How could she possibly not want me?" At this, Song Shulan's heart suddenly felt a bit lighter. That's right. Cui Lingrong couldn't possibly leave him, so what did he have to worry about? Gao Jingzhi asked if he was sure. "Of course. I never make decisions I'll regret. Since I agreed to marry Princess Rongjia, I knew Lady Cui couldn't leave me." Song Shulan didn't want to dwell on the topic further. He raised his cup and urged Gao Jingzhi to drink. "Come, come, today it's on me. Keep me company and drink to your heart's content!" Little did he know, their entire conversation had been overheard by Xie Yunting. Xie Yunting thought to himself that Sister Cui was such a wonderful person—she had truly married the wrong man. He felt it was unfair to Sister Cui, and he'd have to tell Zeyu about this when he got back. No, he couldn't wait until another day. Xie Yunting immediately went to the Cui residence to report this to Cui Zeyu.