Chapter 78

Chapter 78: The Letter of Divorce Song Zhizhi paused, and Cui Lingrong's curiosity was piqued. "What exactly?" "It seems you really don't know." Seeing Cui Lingrong's curiosity, Song Zhizhi was in a good mood and deliberately held back. "It's nothing much—something unimportant to me, but for you, it concerns the rest of your life." She turned around, sat down with a smile, and looked at Cui Lingrong with great interest. "Why don't you beg me? Kneel on the ground and kowtow three times, and I'll tell you." Her cheek still hurt badly. Having grown up, when had she ever suffered such humiliation? Cui Lingrong didn't move. Nanny Qiu frowned. "Young Mistress, you must know your limits. If you keep making a scene like this, you'll only embarrass yourself." "Embarrass myself? What, are you going to spread word of what happened in my natal home? Do you dare, Cui Lingrong?" Song Zhizhi knew how much face her mother cared about—if Cui Lingrong spread such talk, her mother would not let Cui Lingrong off easily. Nanny Qiu was furious. The Young Mistress had always been like this, and now that she'd been slapped by the mistress, she surely wouldn't let things go. Cui Lingrong was indeed curious about what Song Zhizhi wanted to say, but kneel down for her? Absolutely impossible. "Nanny Qiu, go find some sturdy women servants. Since the Young Mistress refuses to speak properly, throw her out." Just as Cui Lingrong finished speaking, Mama Xu entered and asked what was going on. The moment she saw Mama Xu, Song Zhizhi immediately changed her expression. "Mama Xu, an apology won't work anymore. Eldest Sister-in-law refuses to listen to me and even smashed a vase. Forget it, forget it. I'll go back with you. I won't set foot in Qiushuang Zhai again." Hearing this, Mama Xu looked at the eldest young mistress with confusion. "Eldest Young Mistress, they say harmony in the family brings prosperity. The Young Mistress came in good faith to apologize to you—why must you be like this?" "This vase is from the Ru kiln—one alone costs fifty taels of silver. Mama Xu, do you think, given the state of the marquis mansion, that I would smash my own vase?" Cui Lingrong sneered. "You may leave if you wish, but pay for the vase first. Song Zhizhi, do you think I'll still tolerate you like I did before?" "You actually want me to pay?" "Or what did you expect?" "I simply won't pay. What can you do to me?" Song Zhizhi puffed out her chest and tried to leave, but Nanny Qiu and Caixia and the others immediately blocked the door. "Get out of my way, all of you lowly things! How dare you block me?" With that, Song Zhizhi reached out and shoved Nanny Qiu. Nanny Qiu staggered back but held her ground at the door. "Young Mistress, the Eldest Young Mistress hasn't given the word. You cannot leave." "Mama Xu, you see it now, don't you? This is how that Cui woman treats me!" Song Zhizhi's eyes were bloodshot. In her natal home, she had always done as she pleased—this was the first time she'd been stopped. Nanny Qiu and the others didn't dare lay hands on her, but Cui Lingrong could. She grabbed Song Zhizhi's hand. "Song Zhizhi, if you want to be shameless, I'll match you to the end. Mama Xu, go fetch the Old Madame. I'd like to see how she rules on this!" Song Zhizhi also said, "Yes, Mama Xu, hurry and fetch Mother. I too would like to know how she'll deal with this Cui Lingrong!" Mama Xu's head was spinning. With both mistresses giving such orders, she had no choice but to hurry off to Shouan Tang. By the time she arrived at Shouan Tang, Old Madame Sun had already arrived with a dark face. Song Zhizhi looked at Cui Lingrong smugly. "I'm Mother's own daughter. She'll definitely side with me." "Is that so? If the Old Madame is willing to side with you, that's fine too. All these years, every tael of silver I've subsidized you—I've kept records of each one. I didn't want to bring up the past, but since you insist on making things unpleasant, let's lay everything out on the table." Cui Lingrong had Caiyue go fetch the account books. Song Zhizhi panicked. "Cui Lingrong, that money was given to me by the marquis mansion. When did it ever become yours?" Cui Lingrong laughed. "Don't you know that for the past several years, the marquis mansion's food and clothing expenses have all relied on my subsidies?" She had never brought up old accounts with Song Shulan because she still had to live in the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion and couldn't argue with him over money. But she could settle accounts with Song Zhizhi, because Song Zhizhi didn't truly count as a member of the marquis mansion. Song Zhizhi refused to believe it. "What abilities do you have? You only have a bit of money because you rely on that bastard reeking of copper to do business. Just because you say you subsidized us, does that make it true?" The moment she finished speaking— A shout of "Outrageous!" came from the courtyard. Song Zhizhi's heart jolted. She turned around and saw her mother-in-law entering, leaning on her cane. Seeing her mother-in-law, Song Zhizhi still felt some fear and asked with a forced smile, "Why have you come?" "I sent people to fetch you, but you wouldn't return, so I had to come myself." Old Madame Sun had heard every word Song Zhizhi just said. She hadn't expected that all these years, her eldest daughter-in-law had been asking her natal family for money. Nor had she expected that the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, which appeared so glorious on the surface, was actually being subsidized by Cui. Old Madame Song, who had come along, felt her cheeks burn with shame. The fact that Cui had been subsidizing the marquis mansion was unknown to outsiders. Now that Old Madame Sun had heard it, who knew how it would spread. Looking at her daughter, Old Madame Song immediately scolded, "Zhizhi, how dare you speak to your eldest sister-in-law like that?" Song Zhizhi had assumed that once her mother arrived, she would surely take her side. She froze for a moment, then pursed her lips in anger. "Mother, it's Eldest Sister-in-law who just won't let things go. I came in good faith to apologize, but she's being relentless, insisting I pay her back. It's just a vase—I knocked it over by accident. Who would make such a fuss over something like that?" Mama Xu: ...That's not what the young lady said just now. She glanced at the young lady again, wanting only to say, Young lady, stop making a scene—can't you see that Old Madame Sun has arrived? If you keep causing trouble, who knows what might happen. The eldest young mistress is no longer as good-tempered as she used to be. But unfortunately, the young lady couldn't read Mama Xu's signals. Song Zhizhi brought up Cui Lingrong's remark about subsidizing the marquis mansion again. "Mother, you've come just in time. Eldest Sister-in-law just said that our mansion relies on her subsidies. Tell her—is that really the case?" Cui Lingrong also looked at Old Madame Song. Caiyue was already holding the account books, ready to flip through them the moment Old Madame Song said anything untrue. Old Madame Sun looked over as well. When the Sun family had married Song Zhizhi, the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion had not yet been in its current state. It was only after Lady Cui married in that some of its former prestige was gradually restored. "Zhizhi, can't you be sensible for once?" Old Madame Song signaled her daughter to stop talking. "Apologize to your Eldest Sister-in-law quickly, then go back to the Sun family!" If Old Madame Sun hadn't been present, Old Madame Song would not have spoken this way. But with an outsider there, she could only tell her daughter to shut up. Song Zhizhi refused to yield. "Why are you scolding me? I didn't do anything wrong—why should I apologize? And as for that broken vase, could it possibly be worth fifty taels of silver? Only a ghost would believe that!" She began to wail and carry on, showing not a trace of the dignity expected of an eldest daughter-in-law. The more Old Madame Sun watched, the more she regretted having married her eldest son to such a shrew. At that moment, both Old Madame Song and Old Madame Sun felt utterly humiliated, wanting only to take Song Zhizhi and leave quickly. Cui Lingrong said, "It's not that I insist on making an issue of a vase—it's that Sister Zhizhi refuses to let the matter rest. Since that's the case, I have no choice but to settle accounts with her. Old Madame Sun may not know this, but over the past three years, to deal with the troubles she caused in her area, the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion sent silver five times in total, amounting to six thousand seven hundred taels." Old Madame Sun's brows twitched at the words, but she would not follow Cui Lingrong's lead. Instead, she said, "The Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion is her natal family. If she asked you for money and you gave it, that's none of my concern." "What you say is true, Old Madame. The money we gave willingly—there's nothing to say about that. But since Sister Zhizhi shows no gratitude, I have to settle the accounts." Cui Lingrong smiled gently and warmly, showing no sign of aggression. "This money was—" "Lady Cui, I already said it was given by the mansion. Why are you still calculating all this? As for the vase, let Zhizhi pay you double for it." Old Madame Song hurriedly cut off Cui Lingrong's words, afraid she would continue. Cui Lingrong had finally found an opportunity to get money. Her younger brother's cloth shop had lost a considerable sum, and she was in need of funds—how could she let this pass easily? "The vase is one matter. What I wanted to say is that the money the mansion subsidized Sister Zhizhi over the past three years was actually from my personal—" "Mama Xu, go get the money!" Old Madame Song's brows twitched violently. She wished she could devour Cui Lingrong on the spot, but with Old Madame Sun present, she could only have Mama Xu fetch the silver. Only upon hearing this did Cui Lingrong stop speaking. Old Madame Sun could see the situation was amiss and ordered Song Zhizhi to return with her immediately. Song Zhizhi, having failed to get her revenge, stubbornly refused to move. "You won't even listen to me now? Fine, then don't ever come back. I'll have Dalang write you a letter of divorce, and you can stay at your natal home for the rest of your life!" With that, Old Madame Sun left. After all, she had been dissatisfied with this daughter-in-law for a long time. At the word "divorce," Song Zhizhi froze on the spot, unable to react for a long moment.