Chapter 82

Chapter 82: No Regrets Song Shulan looked at Cui Lingrong in disbelief. Her glass-like eyes made him feel, for the first time, that he could no longer control her. "What did you say?" Song Shulan tilted his head and asked. "Say that again?" Cui Lingrong's thin lips trembled. "I said, I can't do it." She had been married to Song Shulan for over a decade, and whether he had ever truly loved her was still up for debate. She used to think that Song Shulan had her in his heart, but the events of these past few months—too many choices and biases—proved that she wasn't that important to him. In the entire Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, aside from her own children, would anyone else remember her sacrifices? No. Cui Lingrong didn't let her tears fall. She emphasized again, "I said no!" In her lifetime, the people who had cherished her wholeheartedly could be counted on one hand. To her, sincerity was too rare. Her aunt had already passed away, and the people around her were few and far between. Her younger brother wasn't a blood brother, but from the day she acknowledged him as her brother, he was destined to be her family for life. "What is the Marquis angry about?" Cui Lingrong asked in return. "Do you think I must always submit to whatever comes my way? When Zhizhi hits me and scolds me, I must endure it, and my giving everything to the Marquis Mansion is just what I ought to do?" "I... that's not what I meant." "Then what did you mean?" Cui Lingrong, for the first time, adopted an aggressive stance. "Even a rabbit will bite when cornered. Besides, over the years, the silver I've subsidized the mansion with amounts to far more than six thousand seven hundred taels. At least three thousand taels a quarter, twelve thousand a year—even if we don't count fourteen years, seven years is certain, isn't it?" Cui Lingrong pressed on, word by word. "All together, that's eighty-four thousand taels of silver. I only asked for six thousand seven hundred back, and only because Zhizhi humiliated my daughter, so I fought back. Marquis, was I wrong to fight back?" She stopped smiling, and her gaze made Song Shulan take two steps back. "Marquis, is Yu-jie not your daughter too? When you saw her being humiliated, if you had stepped in to help her, would it have had to wait until I came to deliver that slap? When I hit someone, my hand hurts too!" The better one's temper and the more stable one's emotions, the more resolute they become in venting their anger the moment they finally explode. Cui Lingrong felt that she must look terrible right now, since this was the first time she had ever criticized Song Shulan's actions with such a ferocious expression. The room fell silent. In over a decade of marriage, this was the first time they had argued with such intensity. Even when Cui Lingrong learned that Song Shulan had taken an Equal Wife, she had told herself to stay calm. But now she couldn't hold it in anymore, and she didn't want to. No one could make her distance herself from the people she cherished. Song Shulan awkwardly averted his gaze. "I... I wasn't harping on about the money. Since you took it to cover the cloth shop's losses, that's normal. Why are you taking this attitude?" His own lack of confidence made his tone weaken. "What I'm angry about is that my Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion did raise that Cui Zeyu, yet he insults me behind my back. As my wife and his sister, shouldn't you stand up for me?" "Marquis, did Zeyu say anything wrong?" Cui Lingrong sat back down. She knew that from this moment on, she and Song Shulan were only husband and wife in name. "If you valued me, you wouldn't have taken an Equal Wife, let alone done it without even informing me." Seeing that Song Shulan was about to speak, Cui Lingrong raised her hand to stop him. "I know, you're going to say it was for your career, for the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion. But it was never for my sake. I've already been tolerant enough—why must you push me to the brink?" Song Shulan's marriage to Princess Rongjia elevated the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion's social standing, and the Rong Prince Mansion promoted Song Shulan in turn. On the surface, Cui Lingrong's three children would also be more highly regarded by the great houses. Except for Cui Lingrong herself. She gained nothing. She was only schemed against and robbed. Cui Lingrong gave Song Shulan a faint, bitter smile. In the fleeting movement of her eyes, she tucked all her grievances away, because Song Shulan wouldn't feel for her anyway. "You see, you can't name a single benefit either." Cui Lingrong said. "You don't like Zeyu, so just don't cross paths in the future. All these years, the money I've had to subsidize the mansion came entirely from his business earnings. Without him, who in the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion has the ability to keep the cloth shop running?" Song Shulan said that Third Brother had experience. "Most of the family's properties are managed by him. If you let him take over, he might not do any worse than Cui Zeyu." "But Marquis, Third Master manages the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion's properties. The cloth shop is mine and Zeyu's business. If Third Master were to get involved, that would really invite gossip." Cui Lingrong shook her head as she spoke. "Besides, does Third Master really have that kind of ability?" Among the three branches of the marquis mansion, Song Shuhe had the least presence. Over the years, Song Shuhe had managed the mansion's properties without any notable achievements, but without any major failures either—neither meritorious nor blameworthy. Cui Lingrong didn't know if Song Shuhe was deliberately playing it that way, but from her perspective, Song Shuhe had never managed to run the businesses with any flair or success. Song Shulan was rendered speechless. If he pressed further, it would look like he was coveting Cui Lingrong's private assets, and word of that would make him a laughingstock. The room fell silent for a moment. After Song Shulan's cold snort, he asked in a low voice, "Is it Cui Zeyu who's dissatisfied with me, or do you think the same way?" At that moment, Cui Lingrong wanted to laugh—her younger brother had indeed scolded him correctly. She didn't answer immediately. Song Shulan knew the answer. "I've been working tirelessly to secure a future for myself. You don't understand—fine, be dissatisfied all you want. But don't come crying to me later!" He turned and left after saying that. He had assumed that after such harsh words, Cui Lingrong would soften and say something nice, giving him an excuse to back down and let the matter go. But he walked all the way to the gate of Qiushuang Zhai without seeing Cui Lingrong come after him. "Ungrateful!" Song Shulan gritted his teeth. When he saw Nanny Qiu come out, he thought Cui Lingrong wanted to make amends, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously relaxed. "Nanny Qiu, don't try to persuade me. If she wants me to stop being angry, have your mistress come find me herself!" Nanny Qiu looked troubled. "Marquis, the Eldest Madam sent me to relay a message. If you truly wish to reconcile, return all the silver from these years. She'll round it down—seventy thousand taels will do." Hearing this, Song Shulan's face turned ashen. He had been ready to take the olive branch Cui Lingrong extended, but who would have thought she'd ask for money again. "Is your mistress blind with greed?" Song Shulan turned away in fury. "I'll wait and see how long she can keep up her stubborn act. Qingshan, if the Eldest Madam comes looking for me, absolutely do not let her in directly. If she doesn't suffer a little, she'll forget that I am the pillar of this marquis mansion!" Qingshan glanced back and saw that Nanny Qiu was already out of sight. He dared to say, "Marquis, this servant thinks the Eldest Madam is truly angry this time." "What reason does she have to be angry? Was she the one scolded, or was I?" Song Shulan snapped. "I've been too good-natured, which is why Cui Zeyu took advantage of me and then bit the hand that fed him. From now on, I won't acknowledge any connection between him and the marquis mansion. Let's see who he does business with then!" In his view, Cui Zeyu's cloth shop had only reached its current scale by borrowing the name of the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion. Yet Cui Zeyu was ungrateful and even insulted him behind his back—that was an affront he absolutely could not swallow. Song Shulan went to Wutong Yuan and vented to Princess Rongjia at length. "He doesn't bear the Song surname, and there's no blood relation—who knows what kind of seed he is?" Princess Rongjia said as she kneaded Song Shulan's shoulders. "Today's quarrel with Sister Cui was likely emboldened by the cloth shop. What kind of man is the Marquis? If you didn't want Cui Zeyu to stay in business, could he keep going?" These words soothed Song Shulan's mood. "You're still the one who treats me best." "Now look at what the Marquis says—you and I have known each other since we were young. I truly regret being so headstrong with you back then." Princess Rongjia sat in Song Shulan's lap. The candlelight flickered, and the atmosphere gradually grew intimate. "Marquis, why do you think Cui Zeyu has never married all these years?" She deliberately brought it up, but Song Shulan didn't read into it—he still had great trust in Cui Lingrong's character. Seeing that Song Shulan wasn't suspicious, Princess Rongjia let the matter drop for now. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and it was another night of pleasure. The next morning, everyone in the marquis mansion knew that the Marquis and the Eldest Madam had quarreled—no need to guess where the news came from; it was clearly spread from Wutong Yuan. When Song Zhizhi next came calling and learned that her elder brother's relationship with Cui Lingrong had soured, she was absolutely delighted. After finishing tea and refreshments with Princess Rongjia, she encountered Madame Jiang in the garden on her way out. Madame Jiang, remembering Cui Lingrong's instructions, deliberately extended a friendly gesture. "Elder Sister, I trust you're well. Have you just come from Wutong Yuan?" Song Zhizhi looked Madame Jiang up and down. She found Madame Jiang arrogant and had never cared for her, so she didn't intend to chat. "I acquired some pearls a while back and was thinking of sending them to you. Since you're here today, why not come with me to fetch them? You haven't visited my quarters yet, have you?" Madame Jiang said with warm insistence. Song Zhizhi was someone who brightened at the sight of money. Whenever someone offered her something, she never thought twice and accepted it all with a smile. She agreed immediately, never noticing that Madame Jiang was barely suppressing her displeasure.