Chapter 70

Chapter 70: Fire Early the next morning, Song Yu hastily washed her face, had Qiutang style her hair in the simplest bun, and hurried off to Qiushuang Zhai. The first day of the new year was an important occasion. Cui Lingrong had already finished washing and dressing. Seeing her daughter rush in flustered, she asked what was wrong. "Mother!" Song Yu looked around, then leaned close to her mother's ear and told her what she had overheard the night before. "Why aren't you the least bit surprised?" Cui Lingrong replied calmly, "Given Princess Rongjia's temperament, if she intends to raise Huadie's child, there's no way she'd let Huadie live. Otherwise, she'd have a thorn in her heart—how could she possibly sleep at night?" Cui Lingrong had suspected as much before; now it was simply confirmed. "So Mother already knew." "Think about it and you'll understand. Princess Rongjia can't bear children herself. Taking in Huadie's child means she wants to raise it as her own. But now that it's confirmed, it's good. We need to find an opportunity to let Huadie know about this. Then we can just sit back and watch the tigers fight—we won't even need to lift a finger." In that case, the prescription You Shuyi had given her would no longer be needed either. Song Yu looked thoughtful. "What does Mother plan to do?" "No rush. This kind of news has to come from Wutong Yuan for Huadie to feel the threat. If we say it, she won't believe us," Cui Lingrong said. "Now, have Nanny Qiu redo your hair quickly. We still need to go pay respects to our ancestors." On the first day of the new year, the entire household had to gather at the ancestral hall for the rites. Cui Lingrong had been delayed talking with her daughter. By the time she arrived, the second and third branches were already there, followed by Song Shulan and Princess Rongjia, along with Old Madame Song supported by Princess Rongjia. Old Madame Song swept her gaze over everyone. She was generally satisfied with the past year—her eldest son had been promoted, and the marquis's household had gained Princess Rongjia as an ally. Everything was thriving. After the rites, everyone shared breakfast together. Old Madame Song kept the younger generation behind to chat, while Princess Rongjia attended to her on the side. Cui Lingrong had household matters to attend to and was about to leave when she heard Old Madame suddenly ask about her younger brother. "Why hasn't Cui Zeyu come to pay his New Year's respects today?" Ever since the marquis's household had lost its share of the cloth shop's dividends, Old Madame Song had looked down on Cui Zeyu. "He's done well for himself now—bought a new residence, even a shop front. Has he forgotten the marquis's household's kindness in raising him?" In previous years, Cui Zeyu would arrive early on the first morning of the new year. Now it was nearly noon, and he still hadn't shown his face. Cui Lingrong found it strange too. Her brother hadn't said he wouldn't come; by all accounts, he should have followed the same routine as previous years. Before Old Madame, Cui Lingrong had to speak up for her brother. "Zeyu has a new residence now, and there are matters to handle at his own household. Once he's dealt with them, he'll naturally come." "Enough, I was only asking casually. It's not as if I was waiting for him." Old Madame Song sniffed and gestured for Cui Lingrong to go about her business. Princess Rongjia asked curiously, "Old Madame, Young Master Yu grew up with Sister Cui, didn't he? Why didn't he pursue the Imperial Examination instead of going into business?" Merchants held low status, and it wasn't as if the marquis's household couldn't afford to support Cui Zeyu's studies. "That boy couldn't apply himself to his books and insisted on learning to do business instead. He's not the ambitious type—our marquis's household raised him for nothing." Old Madame Song turned to look at her son. "I hear these past days, Cui Zeyu hasn't been sending anything to your place either?" Song Shulan thought about it. Indeed, he hadn't. In the past, Cui Zeyu would always deliver fine brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones to his study well in advance. These past few months, he'd had to make do with inferior ones and found it hard to adjust. "Heh, he really is petty. We never should have kept him in the first place." Old Madame Song had also endured a few months of tight finances, and thinking of Cui Zeyu having money to buy a new residence only soured her mood further. "He's an ungrateful sort. Just wait and see—business has its ups and downs. When he hits rock bottom one day, if he doesn't come begging to us, that'll be a real accomplishment." As she said this, Princess Rongjia's lips curved slightly, as if a thought had crossed her mind. Cui Lingrong, too, wondered why her brother hadn't come. She sent Er Shun on an errand to check on what was going on at his place. Back at Qiushuang Zhai, Caiyue was indignant on behalf of Young Master Yu and the eldest madam. "When you first brought Young Master Yu back, Old Madame made you treat him like a servant, saying the marquis's household wouldn't raise someone of unknown origins, and that any food or drink he needed shouldn't come from the household's coffers. So all those years, you raised Young Master Yu with your own private funds. Today they talk about the kindness of raising him—if anyone has a claim to that, it's you, eldest madam. What kindness does the marquis's household have?" Though Young Master Yu had rejected her, Caiyue was sensible and still sided with the eldest madam. Caixia shot Caiyue a look, signaling her to stop. Caiyue refused to back down. "And later, when Young Master Yu entered the clan school, his grades were clearly better than the marquis's. It was those people at the clan school who squeezed him out, and that's why he stopped studying and turned to business instead. Now that he's made something of himself, the marquis's household is short on silver, and when Young Master Yu won't give, they start making snide remarks!" If she weren't a servant of the marquis's household, she'd point her finger right in Old Madame's face and give her a piece of her mind. "Caiyue." Nanny Qiu called out. "That's enough. Do you think the eldest madam doesn't understand all this? Let Old Madame and the others say what they will. We'll just pretend we didn't hear." "I feel wronged for Young Master Yu," Caiyue thought. Young Master Yu was such a good person; it was Old Madame who was ungrateful. Nanny Qiu couldn't do anything with Caiyue and shook her head as she looked at her mistress. "Young Madam, why aren't you scolding Caiyue today?" "Caiyue is right. I use my own money to support Zeyu. What kindness has the Marquis's household shown Zeyu?" Cui Lingrong said, almost wanting to laugh. "In past years, we fed and provided for them well. If Princess Rongjia hadn't entered the household, we would certainly have continued contributing money and effort." Caiyue's words voiced what was in Cui Lingrong's heart. She wouldn't say such things herself, but hearing someone else say them gave her a peculiar sense of satisfaction. However, she was more worried right now—why hadn't her younger brother come? Cui Lingrong busied herself with her tasks while pondering, until two hours later when Er Shun returned and reported that the cloth shop had caught fire last night. "Out of nowhere, why would there be a fire?" Cui Lingrong frowned deeply. And on such an important day as New Year's Eve, no less. Er Shun said they were still investigating. "Usually, either Young Master Yu was guarding the shop, or the shop assistant was there. Yesterday was New Year's Eve, and the shop assistant had drunk a bit too much. By the time the fire was noticed, it had already grown large." "Incompetent!" Cui Lingrong wanted to go see for herself, but it was getting late. "What all was burned?" "Young Master Yu said everything was fine and told you not to worry—he'll come to pay New Year's greetings tomorrow," Er Shun said. Cui Lingrong didn't believe that. Her brother only reported good news, never bad. If he couldn't spare time to come pay New Year's greetings today, it must be quite serious. When her brother came the next day, Cui Lingrong directly asked about the losses. "Tell me the truth—how much cloth was actually burned?" "Some cloth did burn, but fortunately, I had already transported the precious fabrics back to the new residence. Sister, you needn't worry about me. I can handle this," Cui Zeyu said with a smile on his face. But Cui Lingrong found it hard to be reassured. "Many people are getting married in the first month. The cloth you'd previously promised them—if you can't deliver it on short notice, what will you do?" "Even if I lose some money sourcing replacement goods from others, I won't let it affect my reputation. I know what I'm doing. At most, I'll lose some money in the first quarter, and I'll make it up afterward," Cui Zeyu still said it was no big deal. Cui Lingrong asked again, "Have you found out whether it was arson or an accident?" Cui Zeyu shook his head. "Yesterday, every household was setting off firecrackers. There's really no way to trace the source." But it was most likely arson, because the area around the cloth shop was all commercial establishments—no one would set off firecrackers at night. However, Cui Zeyu wouldn't say this to his sister; he didn't want her to worry. Seeing that things had come to this, Cui Lingrong had Nanny Qiu bring out her private savings. "Doing business requires integrity. Take this money to cover the costs first." Cui Zeyu said there was no need. "Sister, keep your money for yourself. Mine is just a small matter. If I truly need money, I certainly won't stand on ceremony with you." "Don't be stubborn. If anything happens, you must tell me." Cui Lingrong sighed and brought Cui Zeyu to Shouan Tang. When Old Madame Song learned of the cloth shop fire, she felt it was bad luck. "In the middle of the New Year, how could something like this happen?" When she looked at Cui Zeyu again, she only felt he was inauspicious. She didn't want to talk much with him and waved her hand, saying she was tired and that Cui Zeyu should leave. Cui Zeyu made a perfunctory appearance before Old Madame, then had to rush back to deal with the cloth shop. He left in a hurry without even eating. When he returned to the shop and looked at the warehouse reduced to black charcoal in the backyard, his face turned ashen. Xie Yunting, who had come upon hearing the news, started cursing immediately. "That motherfucking bastard! Who the hell would do such a despicable thing? Brother Cui, have you offended anyone recently?" Cui Zeyu said no. "I've been in business for many years, especially here in Bianjing. Any random person might have connections I can't afford to offend, so I always prioritize harmony." "Then it was an accident?" "No, it wasn't." Cui Zeyu took a deep breath. He hadn't told his sister the truth. After the New Year, he had a large order to deliver. Now that the cloth in the warehouse had been burned, it would be very difficult for him to replace it. Even if he did, he'd lose a substantial sum of money. In all his years of doing business, this was the first time Cui Zeyu had encountered such a big problem. Where had things started going wrong? He thought and thought, and suddenly a direction came to him. It started at the end of last year, when the shop suddenly received business from some prominent households. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now that he reflected on it, it was very suspicious.