Chapter 71

Chapter 71: Adoption "You're thinking of something?" Xie Yunting noticed Cui Zeyu seemed lost in thought. Cui Zeyu suddenly let out a snort. "Brother Xie, I'll have to trouble you again this time." "Ah, between brothers like us, just say it directly." Xie Yunting told Cui Zeyu not to stand on ceremony. Cui Zeyu wanted to know whether those who had come to order cloth before the new year had been instigated by someone. Those people hadn't shown themselves—it was their household servants and maids who had come to buy cloth. To get them to talk, Xie Yunting had more means at his disposal. Xie Yunting agreed immediately. "This little matter—I thought it would be something difficult. If I find out who instigated it, I'll take you to smash the gates of their mansion!" With that said, he left. Cui Zeyu looked at the mess in the cloth shop and sighed anxiously. His sister was struggling in the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion. If not for his supply of silver, her situation would be even worse. Just then, someone came in—the steward of the Qian family who had ordered cloth from the shop. "Oh, Boss Cui, what happened here?" "It's Steward Qian. The warehouse caught fire a few days ago. What brings you here?" Cui Zeyu immediately put on a smile. "Let's go upstairs for tea—there's too much dust here." "No, no. I was passing by and came in to let you know—don't forget the festive cloth we need for the eighth. Can you still produce it now? If not, you'll have to compensate according to the contract. Don't delay our affairs!" The Qian family had a daughter getting married and had ordered festive cloth to be arranged on the eighth. Cui Zeyu would have to find the festive cloth even if it meant going against the grain. "Rest assured, on the eighth, I will deliver the festive cloth to the Qian residence as agreed." "Alright then, I'll be going. If you can't do it, just say so directly—we simply won't do business with your shop anymore." Steward Qian wasn't entirely reassured. Cui Zeyu saw him to the door. Once Steward Qian had left, he immediately went to his fellow merchants, only to find that none of the cloth shops he was familiar with had festive cloth. "Boss Cui, spring hasn't arrived yet, so cloth from the south can't be shipped over. Our remaining stock has all been reserved by others. If you truly can't produce it, you might as well compensate them with silver and let them find other suppliers—that way you can still preserve your reputation." Cui Zeyu thanked his fellow merchant, but he knew that once he told the Qian family he couldn't produce the cloth, word would spread like wildfire. The Qian family wasn't his only customer—he had many other business dealings. No matter how difficult things got, however, Cui Zeyu wouldn't trouble his sister. He didn't want her to worry. As for Cui Lingrong, she still learned of it through Yuan Mingzhu. Mindful that Cui Zeyu was Cui Lingrong's younger brother, Yuan Mingzhu had bought her fabrics from Cui Zeyu for the past few years. In a few days, it would be Old Madame Jiang's birthday, and she had ordered Suzhou embroidery and other fabrics from Cui Zeyu. The Suzhou embroidery had been delivered, but for the other fabrics, Cui Zeyu had asked Yuan Mingzhu to wait. Yuan Mingzhu felt something was off and sent someone to check, only then learning that Cui Zeyu's cloth shop had been burned down. "My Second Mistress said that Young Master Yu likely only reports the good news and not the bad—Marchioness Song surely doesn't know the details. That's why she sent me to make this trip. If there's anything needing help, she and her sister can be called upon—no need to stand on ceremony." The one delivering the message was a matron from Yuan Mingzhu's household. Cui Lingrong hurriedly brought people to the cloth shop. Seeing the warehouse burned to ruins and her younger brother still smiling at her, she immediately grew angry. "It's clearly so serious—why didn't you tell me the truth?" "I thought I could handle it." Cui Zeyu, afraid his sister would be upset, quickly explained. "And I didn't lie—the most precious fabrics are all stored at my residence." "But most of your business is with ordinary people. Let me ask you—were your original fabrics burned, and now you can't deliver to your customers?" Cui Lingrong had just finished asking when she saw her brother hesitate for a moment, and she knew he was truly in trouble. "Come with me to the Jiang family now. On the way, tell me clearly everything you're missing or short on." Cui Zeyu wanted to say there was no need to trouble his sister, but Cui Lingrong wouldn't hear of it—she had already told Er Shun to prepare the carriage. They went first to the Jiang family. Yuan Mingzhu said she didn't know any cloth merchants, but she could go to her sister, who owned a silk and satin shop. The Cui siblings then went to the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. Their visit was sudden, and the gatekeeper looked them up and down twice before going to announce them. After a moment, a matron from Yuan Yuzhu's household came to lead the Cui siblings in. "The Second Miss gave instructions, saying Young Master Yu might be in difficulty. If you came seeking help, the Hereditary Princess should assist." The matron led them to the front courtyard, where Yuan Yuzhu had already prepared tea. Since she owned a silk and satin shop, she had heard about the fire at Cui Zeyu's cloth shop. "I was thinking of sending someone to ask if you needed help, but I was afraid you might take offense." Yuan Yuzhu's eyes were shadowed with dark circles, clearly she hadn't rested well lately. Cui Zeyu awkwardly explained his supply problem. "The cloth being burned is a loss of money, but that's a minor matter. The real issue is that people ordered cloth before the new year—if I can't deliver, I'm afraid I'll lose my reputation. If the Hereditary Princess has surplus stock, I'm willing to pay a premium to purchase it." "No need to raise the price. I'm an old acquaintance of your sister. If I took advantage of your situation, I'd be stabbed in the back for it. However, my stock isn't enough for what you need. I can have my shopkeeper make some connections for you and ask around at the other fabric shops." Since both Cui siblings had come to her door, Yuan Yuzhu was willing to do them a favor. Hearing this, Cui Zeyu saw a glimmer of hope. "Thank you, Your Highness. I'll remember this favor. If there's ever anything you need, just say the word, and I'll do my best to help." "No need to be so formal with me. We might not even be able to gather enough fabric for you." Yuan Yuzhu called over the manager and had him take Cui Zeyu to find the right people. Cui Zeyu was eager to secure the fabric, so he immediately followed the manager to Yuan Yuzhu's silk shop. Cui Lingrong stayed behind to chat with Yuan Yuzhu. "Sister Yuan, have you been sleeping poorly lately?" "Isn't it because of those matters?" Yuan Yuzhu gave a faint smile, her eyes curving gently like crescent moons. "My mother-in-law still refuses to let me leave." "Then what are you going to do?" Yuan Yuzhu took a deep breath. "I will never give in. I'll find a way eventually. My father-in-law didn't care at first, but recently, since he's had no news of that son from the concubine's hidden residence, he also wants me to stay." Dealing with just her mother-in-law alone would have been manageable, but with her father-in-law getting involved, Yuan Yuzhu had to consider her own family's welfare. After all, the Duke of Dingguo held great power, and the Yuan family was far less influential than the Duke of Dingguo's household. If her father-in-law created obstacles in official circles, the Yuan family might not be able to withstand it. "But didn't you say the heir apparent negotiated with them on your behalf before he passed?" Cui Lingrong asked. "Yes, that's right. But looking back now, those were just words to placate the heir apparent. They never meant to honor them." Yuan Yuzhu was no longer young and didn't want to waste more years in the Duke of Dingguo's household. Cui Lingrong thought for a moment. "The Duke of Dingguo can't find the son from the concubine's hidden residence, so he wants to keep you here to adopt a child. Your mother-in-law wants to preserve the heir apparent's bloodline, while the Duke of Dingguo wants to preserve the ducal household's legacy." Yuan Yuzhu asked, "Is there a difference?" "There is." Cui Lingrong stood up and walked over, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear. "Whether it's adoption or not, if the child is adopted under the Duke of Dingguo's name, wouldn't that have nothing to do with you?" Yuan Yuzhu's eyes lit up with sudden clarity. "That's right! That way, the Duke of Dingguo's household would have an heir, and they wouldn't need to cling to me. You're so clever—I never thought of that." "You're just too close to the situation to see clearly, while I'm an outsider with a clearer view." Cui Lingrong said, "My suggestion is to let your mother-in-law raise the child. That way, the child will grow close to her, and it's better than you raising a child with resentment in your heart." The more Yuan Yuzhu thought about it, the more she felt it could work. "Thank you for giving me this idea. Once I escape this misery, I will definitely come to your door to thank you in person." "Sister Yuan, you're being too formal with me. Today you did my younger brother a great favor—I wish I could come up with an even better plan for you." Cui Lingrong was genuinely grateful. She chatted with Yuan Yuzhu a while longer, planning to wait for her brother to return so they could go home together. By this time, Cui Zeyu had finished his inventory and come back. He followed the manager directly to find his sister, not noticing the Duke of Dingguo not far away. The Duke of Dingguo had just arrived home. Watching the young man walk past in the distance—even though he only caught a glimpse of his profile—he felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity. "Who is that?" His attendant didn't recognize him either, so he ran to ask the gatekeeper and learned that he was Marchioness Song's adopted younger brother. "It seems he came to discuss business with Her Highness. Marchioness Song also came and spent the whole afternoon with Her Highness." "Adopted younger brother?" The Duke of Dingguo's thick brows furrowed. The people he'd sent out recently had made no progress at all, and he'd even begun to give up hope. Now seeing Cui Zeyu—roughly the same age, and an adopted brother of Lady Cui—the Duke of Dingguo figured he might as well try anything. "Go investigate this Cui Zeyu's background thoroughly. Be careful not to let the Duchess know, or I'll have your head!"