Chapter 89

Chapter 89: Spring Night Cui Lingrong was stopped at the entrance. Passersby said the cloth shop had passed off inferior goods as quality merchandise and swindled people's money. Cui Lingrong's brows twitched with unease as she listened. When someone said the owner had already been taken to the government office, she hurried there herself. Even after paying silver, she still couldn't see her younger brother. "No matter how much money you offer, we wouldn't dare accept it. Do you know who he's offended?" The yamen runner waved his hand regretfully, unable to take the money. "Go back quickly and prepare what you need. Who knows where he might be exiled to." Cui Lingrong's brows twitched again. Offended someone? Exile? She had no choice but to wait along the road where Song Shulan would pass on his way home from duty, hoping he could help make inquiries. "Cui Zeyu was arrested?" Song Shulan seemed rather pleased instead. "I always said that kid didn't have that much ability—turns out he was passing off inferior goods to cheat people. I need to avoid any suspicion, and you should stay away from the government office too. Don't bring trouble to the marquis mansion." "My lord, Zeyu is my brother. I can't just stand by and do nothing!" "Then what do you plan to do? Surely you don't expect me to stake the entire marquis mansion to save some bastard with no blood relation to us?" Song Shulan raised his voice, then remembered they were outside and lowered it. "I'm not lifting a finger to help. If you're so capable, go save him yourself. Hey... where are you going?" Once she understood Song Shulan's stance, Cui Lingrong immediately got out of the carriage. She walked quickly without looking back at Song Shulan. "Nanny Qiu, find us another carriage. We're going to see General Xie." Song Shulan watched Cui Lingrong's stubborn retreating figure, his breath catching in his throat. "Tell me, why can't she just soften a little?" Qingshan didn't know what to say, so he simply lowered his head. Song Shulan said indignantly, "Fine, she's so capable—let's see who she can beg for help!" Song Shulan ordered the driver to return to the mansion, leaving Cui Lingrong to her own devices. When she found no one to turn to, she would surely come back to him. This time, he would wait for Cui Lingrong to lower her head. On the other side, Cui Lingrong stepped through the gates of the Xie residence in the fading glow of sunset, only to find that Xie Yunting wasn't home. "The general has always been free-spirited; there's no telling when he'll return. If you have urgent matters, madam, I could go look for him?" Cui Lingrong glanced up at the sky, told the gatekeeper what the matter was, then made another trip to the Jiang residence to ask Jiang Kun to make inquiries on her behalf. Jiang Kun and Yuan Mingzhu had a loving marriage, and he agreed immediately. By the time Cui Lingrong left the Jiang residence, it was already dark, so she had no choice but to head back to the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion first. Then Xie Yunting caught up on horseback, the urgent clatter of hooves approaching. "Sister Cui!" The carriage stopped. Cui Lingrong pushed open the wooden window and, seeing it was Xie Yunting, hurriedly said, "I went to the government office to see Zeyu, but they wouldn't let me in. They even said Zeyu had offended someone. I beg General Xie to help Zeyu—he would never pass off inferior goods." "Rest assured, sister. Brother Cui and I are like brothers—his business is my business." Xie Yunting glanced at the road ahead. "Let me escort you back to the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion first. I'll handle the rest." With that, he looked at the person behind the wooden window. Her cheeks were flushed, her delicate brows furrowed, her eyes rimmed red as she struggled to hold back her emotions. Those autumn-water eyes, in this spring night, were as breathtaking as a luminous pearl. Xie Yunting was damned if he didn't find himself staring. A call of "General!" snapped him back to reality. "General, I treat Zeyu as my own brother. If he's been implicated this time, it's most likely because of me. Whether it's money or anything else that's needed, feel free to promise it on my behalf—I'll do everything in my power to gather it." At this moment, Cui Lingrong was like a peony in a storm—though battered by wind and rain, she remained resilient. Under the hazy moonlight, Xie Yunting's Adam's apple rolled involuntarily. After another moment of being lost in thought, he said, "Rest assured, Sister Cui. I will do my utmost." He escorted Cui Lingrong to the gates of the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion and only rode away after she had gone inside. Qingshan had been waiting at the door the whole time. He could tell that the marquis still wanted to mend things between them despite their quarrel, so he came over specially to say, "Grand Madam, the marquis is actually worried about you. If you'd just coax him a little, he'd be willing to help." "Did the marquis send you to say this?" Cui Lingrong asked. Qingshan said no. "It was my own idea." "How could what you think be the same as what he means?" Cui Lingrong didn't believe it. She wearily returned to her quarters with Nanny Qiu. Qingshan had no choice but to go back to the front courtyard, where his master happened to look over at him. Song Shulan waited a good while before asking, "You went all the way over there—where is she?" "The Grand Madam seems tired, so she went back first," Qingshan said. "What did you say to her?" Song Shulan set down his brush. Qingshan hesitated for a moment, then recounted the conversation truthfully. Upon learning that it was Xie Yunting who had brought Cui Lingrong back, Song Shulan frowned. "Xie Yunting again?" The previous few times it had also been Xie Yunting sticking his nose in, and now it was Xie Yunting again. When had Cui Lingrong become so close with him? That reckless, good-for-nothing Xie Yunting—if she spent too much time with someone like him, what if he led her astray? "Tomorrow morning, go to the government office and make inquiries. If it's not a serious matter, get Cui Zeyu out. Let him spend one night locked up—it'll teach him a lesson." Song Shulan thought it over. His own woman had no business going to someone else for help. Qingshan felt that the Marquis still had the eldest mistress in his heart—after all, they had been husband and wife for over a decade. He acknowledged with a "yes" and went to the government office early the next morning to make inquiries. The office staff told him to go back, saying that this matter was related to the Qian family. "Which Qian family?" "Do you even need to ask? The most famous Qian family in Bianjing, of course. You're from the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, aren't you? Rather than sending you, it would be better to have Princess Rongjia come. Isn't the second mistress of the Rong Prince Mansion a member of the Qian family?" Qingshan returned with the news. When Song Shulan learned that it involved the Qian family, he pondered for a moment, then went to Wutong Courtyard to find someone. Princess Rongjia was quite pleased to see Song Shulan, but the moment she heard him mention her second sister-in-law, her face immediately fell. "Has the Marquis come about Cui Zeyu's matter?" "Lady Cui thinks highly of Cui Zeyu—she's even gone to Xie Yunting about it. If I don't step in, won't I be laughed at by Xie Yunting?" Song Shulan found himself an excuse. "How could I possibly have any say in my second sister-in-law's family affairs?" Princess Rongjia claimed she lacked that ability. "Besides, Sister Cui didn't return until after dark, and she went to see a man of no good character. Has the Marquis considered what their relationship might be?" Princess Rongjia assumed Song Shulan wouldn't step in for Cui Zeyu, since Song Shulan thoroughly detested Cui Zeyu. And now he said it was for the sake of face—but who really knew the truth? Song Shulan furrowed his brow. "Lady Cui is not that kind of person." "Fine, fine, fine. Even if she isn't, who can guarantee that Xie Yunting is a gentleman? If Xie Yunting were to threaten her with his charms, and Sister Cui treasures Cui Zeyu so dearly—who knows?" Princess Rongjia didn't want to beat around the bush any longer, openly sowing discord. "Rather than meddling in Cui Zeyu's affairs, it would be better to think about what's going on between Sister Cui and Xie Yunting." Song Shulan hadn't thought much of it before, but now that Princess Rongjia had put it that way, doubts began to stir in his mind. He had asked Cui Lingrong whether she cared about him. Cui Lingrong hadn't said she did. Could it be that it really was because of Xie Yunting? Just thinking about it was unbearable for Song Shulan. That bastard Xie Yunting was a scoundrel, and Cui Lingrong... was indeed beautiful. Song Shulan turned and left, rushing urgently to Qiushuang Zhai, only to be told that Cui Lingrong had gone out to find Xie Yunting. "Qingshan, we're going to the Xie residence!" Song Shulan couldn't wait a single moment longer.